Hall of Fame
by nofreakingway
Summary: A few years after the Cell Games, Chichi decides that it's a good idea for Gohan to attend Junior High like a normal teenage boy. But when he meets the Sailor Scouts and a new enemy arises, he wonders if his life will ever be normal? DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon, nor their respective worlds. However, all original characters and plot lines belong to me.
1. Chapter 1

Smirking in the darkness, a small dainty figure silently climbed through the branches of the very high trees near peak of Mount Paozu. Licking her lips, her intense hazel eyes watched her prey with delight. Tail swishing back and forth, curling herself up like a spring; she pounced. Elegantly and silently, she captured the small innocent deer with no trouble at all and with a quick swipe of her hand, she accidentally decapitated the poor creature. She chuckled to herself as she marvelled her own strength, initially aiming to simply break its neck. Smiling happily and carelessly, she was about to begin her feast but she suddenly stopped, very tense as her ears twitched. There was a noise and she hissed as she felt an unfamiliarly powerful ki approaching. Quick as she could, she wrapped her tail around the slain creature and leapt into the trees once more. Pouncing away before she could be spotted.

Son Gohan stopped as he felt that incredible ki suddenly disappear and cursed himself for forgetting to mask his own. He was stood in a clearing where he had last sensed its' presence. His expression completely unphased by the small head of a deer gazing up at him with unseeing eyes, blood oozing from what was left of its' neck. He looked around suspiciously as his Saiyan eyes and ears seemed to pick up even the slightest movement. He had become out of practice ever since his battle with Cell, which had resulted in a slow response to the sudden unknown burst of ki. He looked left as he sensed a presence, and didn't even flinch when he saw Piccolo beside him, appearing as if out of nowhere.

Piccolo stared in the same direction as Gohan, the place where he must have sensed the last of that incredible burst of energy. "You felt it too?" he spoke quietly and Gohan nodded to his former master.

"Do you think it's Cell?" Gohan asked, though there was little worry in his tone and seemed to be a question he asked purely for reassurance.

"No." confirmed Piccolo. "You obliterated cell. This creature is something I've never sensed before."

"Do you think it's dangerous?" Gohan asked, still glancing left and right at the slightest movements.

"I don't know." Piccolo admitted solemnly. "But let's not let our guard down Gohan. Make sure you're prepared. You've grown soft over the last few years."

Gohan nodded at his master, knowing he spoke the truth. His studies had begun to take priority over his training, now that his father's influence was no longer present in these last 4 years. He should have expected that, as the strongest warrior in the universe, he was bound to attract attention. But his mother was definitely going to kill him if he skipped out on his studies too much. He relaxed his stance and felt himself smile at the thought of his mothers' reaction to him beginning his training again.

Though if he could, he'd prefer to avoid a fight altogether.

"Should we train at the lookout or here?" Gohan asked, curiously looking at his master, who smirked down at the powerful Saiyan.

"So quick to assume that you'll be training with me?" Piccolo asked and Gohan laughed, smiling innocently and brightly like his father.

"Well, I guess I could train with Vegeta, but he'd probably try to kill me. At least if you kill me I know it's an accident." Gohan laughed lightly and Piccolo chuckled as his friends comment. His own strength barely matched half of what Gohan was capable of. The thought of seriously injuring him, let alone killing him, would be near impossible for the Namekian warrior.

"I'll be at the lookout whenever you're ready. But you should probably tend to your mother first." Smirked the Namekian and Gohan smiled, laughing nervously.

"Oh yeah, I was meant to be catching some fish for dinner!" Gohan laughed, smacking his forehead. He began to gently float into the air, looking down to his friend. "I'll be come for training as soon as I can. If I survive!" laughed Gohan. "See you later Piccolo!" He called and flew off towards the river, ready to use some of the simplest and most effective fishing techniques his father, Son Goku, had taught him before he had given his life for him.

Gohan sighed to himself as he landed by the riverside and couldn't help looking up to the stars, thinking of how much he missed his father. And yet, as corny as it sounded to him, his father seemed to be an omnipresent spirit within his heart. Gohan never felt as if his father was truly gone, because he knew he was watching over him in Other World. But he missed his physical presence, his guidance, his light and carefree approach to life.

With ease, Gohan soon reappeared at the home he shared with his mother and baby brother, Goten. He smiled in the doorway, carrying a fish that was clearly 3 times the size of him, dead in his hands.

"SON GOHAN! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" screamed his mother, and Gohan laughed nervously, smiling his father's signature smile.

"Sorry mom, I got distracted." Gohan explained, walking over to her with the fish and handing it over. She frowned at him and he quickly cut the fish into smaller, human-sized manageable pieces with his hand so that his mother could finish her cooking.

"And what," she spoke in an angry tone, but was at least no longer shouting at him, "I would like to know, had distracted you so much that it made you an hour late?"

"A whole hour! Really?" gasped Gohan, surprised at how much time his tiny adventure had taken up. "Well," he sighed to himself, scratching the back of his head guiltily; unsure of how much he should reveal to his mother in her delicate state. "I ran into Piccolo and we were talking for a bit and I guess I lost track of time." Gohan replied rather lamely, clearly beating around the bush.

Chichi frowned at her son, knowing there was more to the tale than what he had said. But she let it slide, for once, knowing that she had to try to control her temper in case she woke Goten, who was sleeping soundly in his crib. Chichi couldn't help thinking that, as the second son of Goku, it is more likely than not that Goten, too, sleeps like a rock; just as his father and elder brother did before him. She smiled to herself as she thought this and carried on with her cooking, telling Gohan to set the table and go wash up as she did so.

As she let the fish chunks fry in the pan, she let her thoughts wander and released a weak sigh. Chichi looked over at the sleeping Goten and the spitting image of the father he shall never know slept soundly and undisturbed in his place. She couldn't help but think of her late husband and how happy he would have been to be having another child. Guilt washed over her again, as it so often did, when she thought sadly that this child would never know what a truly wonderful man his father was... is. He was waiting for them in Other World, watching over them. And she could still feel his love for her in her heart, making her swell with pride at the thought of him.

"Mom I- Mom? Are you ok?" Gohan spoke suddenly, snapping Chichi out of her thoughts. She quickly wiped away the tears that she hadn't realised were there and plated up their dinner.

She smiled weakly at Gohan, who looked very worried. "I'm sorry Gohan." She spoke softly and looked over at the sleeping Goten, "I was just thinking about your father." Gohan too, looked over at his younger brother and felt solemn. "I just hate to think about how poor Goten will never really know him. And Goku has no idea about Goten either."

Gohan placed a hand on his mothers shoulder, having grown to her height in the last few years. He smiled weakly at her as she looked at him sadly, "Mom, Goten will know about Dad and Dad is probably watching over us from Other World, and knows all about Goten already. They'll have a special bond and will see each other in Other World."

Chichi smiled at her son and nodded. Sometime over the last few years, she hadn't noticed how much her son had now grown up. He was becoming a very handsome young man, just like his father. They sat down and enjoyed their meal together without any depression in their eyes, for they felt warmth in their hearts as they spoke fondly of Goku.


	2. Chapter 2

Goku removed his hand from its place on King Kai's back and smiled to himself, releasing a small sigh.

"They still seem to miss you very much Goku." commented the old master, surveying Goku. "And it's clear how much you miss being with them. Are you sure you didn't want to speak to them?"

"They're doing alright and it's better this way." replied Goku, looking into the bright sky of Other World. "If I keep talking to them from here, it's not going to be helping them cope with me being dead. I just like to check in and see how they're doing."

King Kai nodded as he watched his young protégé, never ceasing to be amazed. Whether it was his wise words when it came to the fate of the earth, his incredible progress in strength or his ability to eat an entire week's stock of food within an hour; there was always something unexpected about Goku and his antics.

Goku suddenly became very serious and looked at his master, who seemed surprised at the sudden change of moods. "But that new ki we sensed is something I'm worried about. It's a lot stronger than cell, but disappeared as quickly as it came."

The King nodded at Goku, frowning before he spoke. "Yes, I definitely felt that too. But there's nothing we can do from here Goku."

Goku frowned, puzzled by their predicament. He couldn't stand to do nothing when he knew that there was danger approaching the Earth. But, he had to trust that his son would now be able to handle it with the other Z fighters. After all, although his time in Other World had allowed him to master the ability to reach Super Saiyan 2, Gohan had reached it much sooner and was a much more powerful warrior than himself. He felt his pride swell and smiled to himself as he thought this. He knew that Gohan was much less focused on training, but fighting was in his blood as a Saiyan warrior. Yet, Goku still wanted to try to help. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"I GOT IT!" he shouted happily, scaring the old King and making him fall backwards.

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT!" shouted the King from the floor as he scrambled to his feet once more. Goku seemed surprised and laughed at that outburst, smiling his signature Son smile.

"Sorry King Kai. I guess I got a bit excited." He scratched the back of his head as he laughed.

"Well?" the Kai prompted impatiently.

"Oh yeah! King Kai, can't you use your powers to search through the universe for a ki wave similar to that one we felt on Earth? If you can, we'll at least know what kind of creature we're dealing with and we can warn the others."

King Kai frowned at the happy Saiyan and turned his back to him. His antennae began to twitch as he searched for that powerful ki once more. Goku waited silently and eagerly for his master's conclusion. After several minutes of silence, King Kai released a tired sigh.

"I'm sorry Goku. I can't find it. If it's from one of the planets that were wiped out by Freeza, then we will never be able to locate it."

Goku looked disappointed and sighed, flopping himself onto the ground. "Well I think if I have a nap I might-" he suddenly shot up as he felt that surge of ki once more. The King felt it as well and his antennae leapt to the source. Goku sprang to his feet to place a hand on the back of King Kai, ensuring that he could see in his minds' eye what was happening on Earth.


	3. Chapter 3

A few days had passed since that strange ki had appeared, with no reappearances for a while. Though he knew he should be in training, Gohan hadn't found it in his will to tell his mother of a new potential threat. He promised himself that, should that ki rise again, and then he would begin to prepare himself. And so, Gohan sat on the nimbus cloud on his way to his first day of junior high school. Perhaps, now being 15 years old, he would finally be able to settle himself into the life of a normal human, though he was far from it. As much as he enjoyed being with his family and friends, his mother seemed to feel it was necessary for him to learn to be around people his own age as well. He had passed the initial entrance exams with flying colours and was very excited to begin learning in his more advanced classes, so he could be prepared for the high school entrance exams.

He arrived at Crossroads Junior High soon enough and, thanking Nimbus, he leapt down from the cloud and landed nimbly on his feet outside of the school gates. He felt slightly confused when he hardly saw any students. Glancing at the watch that was strapped to his wrist, he gasped. "OH NO! I'M LATE!" he ran inside to the reception and asked to sign in. The woman at the desk seemed very unimpressed with his timing and handed him the correct papers for him to sign before showing him to his new classroom.

"So sorry to bother you Miss Haruna" spoke the receptionist as she slid open the door to the 9th grade classroom, "But I have a new student for you."

"Oh?" Miss Haruna, a tall and slender woman with a kind face and dark eyes looked curiously at the boy walking in. "You do realise that you're late on your first day?"

Gohan bowed at his teacher, blushing in embarrassment at the first impression he was making to his entire class. "I'm sorry I'm late Miss Haruna. I seemed to have mistimed my travel. I won't let it happen again."

Miss Haruna smiled at the young boy, but before she could speak there was screaming from down the hall and a clumsy blonde girl ran in. "Sorry I'm late!" she gasped, quickly settling into her seat. "Won't happen again!" she gasped, her head collapsing into her arms as she tried to catch her breath. Gohan looked curiously at the girl and smiled in amusement.

"As you can see, lateness is not something I am unfamiliar with when it comes to my students." Miss Haruna smiled at Gohan, who smiled back nervously. "Would you like to introduce yourself to the rest of the class?"

"Sure." Gohan smiled as he turned to face the class, feeling himself blushing slightly as shyness seemed to take a toll. "My name is Son Gohan. It's very nice to meet all of you." He bowed again before walking over and settling in the empty seat behind the girl who had come in late.

"And Serena," Miss Haruna's kind voice suddenly turned deadly and threatening and Gohan watched with curiosity. "Given that this is the third time this week that you've been late, you can make up for that time tonight with detention!"

"What!" gasped the girl, looked shocked and distraught, "But Miss H-"

"No but's!" commanded her teacher. "Now, if you would all take out your math textbooks to chapter 7, then we can begin working on quadratics."

Gohan grinned eagerly; math was one of his favourite subjects. He heard Serena groan in depression in front of him. He found her simple nature very amusing.

"Hey! Pst! Gohan!" whispered a strange boy sat beside him. Gohan looked up from his equations in surprise. He looked to his right and saw a strange boy with bushy brown hair and glasses. "Hi! My name's Melvin and I'm the guy you want to know around here! If you have any trouble with stuff, you can always ask me! I'll show you around the school as well if you like?"

Gohan smiled and nodded, still feeling slightly shy around his new classmates.

"Can it Melvin!" a sweet looking girl with bright green eyes and frizzy auburn hair spoke from Gohan's left. "Don't try getting him caught up with you! If you like, I can show you around Gohan? Melvin will probably take you to all the science and computer labs." She grumbled with a very disgusted look at the thought of science and computing, "I'll take you to the rooftop where we all hang out and I'll introduce you to all the others! Oh, by the way, my name's Molly!" Gohan chuckled to himself as Molly grinned back cheerfully.

"I actually really like science and I think it'd be kind of cool to see the computer labs. But I'd like to meet your friends too, if that's ok?" Gohan blushed lightly as he spoke, not sure what mannerisms were considered appropriate amongst girls his own age. Guys he could probably figure out, but girls were still a mystery to him.

"Huh? You mean you LIKE that kindof stuff? Oh I definitely should introduce you to Amy!" Serena whirled around in her seat to speak to him. Gohan was slightly startled by the girl, unaware that she had been listening to their conversation. "Besides," Serena began to mutter to Molly, but the young Saiyan's hearing could pick it up easily. "He's kind of cute!"

"Oh yeah, for sure!" giggled Molly and Gohan felt himself blushing. He laughed nervously and began to quickly answer the questions that had been set, pretending that he hadn't heard their words. His alien abilities had allowed him to maintain this conversation whilst listening to Miss Haruna explaining how to use the quadratic formula correctly to find the discriminant.

Melvin, Molly and Serena watched him in amazement and he barely noticed their gaze.

"SERENA! WOULD YOU PLEASE TURN AROUND AND GET ON WITH YOUR OWN WORK!" shouted Miss Haruna, making Serena scream in surprise and fall out of her chair. Gohan, Molly and Melvin laughed brightly at the clumsy girl, who looked most distressed at being shouted at.

"MOLLY! MELVIN! I EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU BOTH!" Miss Haruna continued and they both stopped laughing immediately. Gohan continued to grin as he finished the last question and Miss Haruna approached him to check them over.

Her temperament immediately relaxed and she smiled, "Gohan, this is excellent work! I'm very impressed! Perhaps you can have a good influence on Serena."

"Yeah right." Grumbled the blonde and glared in sighed, giving up all hope of ever understanding math and placing her head back on her desk.

Gohan suddenly became very serious and stiff, his fists clenching and he felt a different but very powerful ki nearby. But this time, it wasn't a small burst, it was maintained.

"I'm sorry, but I need to be excused!" he suddenly burst, stood up and ran from the room. As soon as he had exited the classroom, he ran to the nearest window and leapt out, flying at full speed towards the source of the ki.

He arrived at the source of the ki and found himself facing a very strange looking monster. It looked like an enlarged and mutated tiger, but the size of a dinosaur. It roared, shouting about its hunger for pure souls. There were still so many people around, he couldn't risk them recognising who he was. Deciding it might be safer to become a super Saiyan, Gohan transformed into the next most powerful stage he knew.

"Hey! Leave those people alone!" he shouted, leaping into the air and kicking the creature aside with ease. He was glad to find that he hadn't completely lost his fighting instincts, though he felt very out of practice.

"I need pure souls!" it cried, leaping to its feet once more and diving for Gohan. He was ready for it but suddenly, he heard someone shout "Venus Love Chain Encircle!" A link of golden shining hearts wound around the lions feet and it fell to the floor at Gohan's feet. He looked up in confusion to the source of the chain and saw a girl, looking no older than himself. She wore an orange and white sailor's uniform with long blonde hair and a determined and fearless look in her eyes.

"Trying to steal the pure souls of innocent people is not something that I can forgive." He heard another voice begin to announce.

Gohan looked again, confused, to the source and saw a group of girls, in similar outfits to the one holding the magical chain, except their outfits were themed in different colours.

"Our pure souls are the cherished sources of life that keep us going and I can't allow nega-trash like you to take them from us!"

Gohan glanced at the creature that they had caught and they exchanged similar expressions, wondering if these girls were serious.

"I am Sailor Moon and we are the Sailor Scouts! In the name of the Moon, we shall punish you!"

Apparently they were.

The girl in the middle, who Gohan presumed to be their leader, pointed at him as she finished speaking and Gohan looked left and right very suddenly.

"Who, me?" he pointed at himself, bewildered by her accusation.

"Well yeah, who else would we be talking to?" The so-called Sailor Moon seemed to state in a very dumb manner. He had already sized up their ki's and knew that they weren't particularly powerful in comparison to a Saiyan. Their powers weren't even a match for the ki of the creature on the ground, how is it possible that they were able to bind him so quickly? The energy that was emulating from that love chain attack, however, was much higher than the power within that sailor's own body. Gohan pondered this for a moment too long.

Gohan frowned at her, "But I didn't-" he gasped as he felt the creature that was lying on the ground reach around and grab him with its tail. The Sailor Scouts gasped at the action.

"Sailor Moon, he wasn't working with that creature!" cried the sailor in orange. "We need to help him!"

"Right Venus!" nodded the leader but, before she could do anything, they all stared in amazement as Gohan easily floated into the air and ripped the creatures' tail from its body. He then obliterated it with a single ki blast from his hands. "Maaasenko!" cried Gohan.

He smiled at the result and waved to the sailor scouts, grinning his signature Son smile. "Thanks for your help! You should really be careful next time though. That thing was a lot more powerful than you."

The scouts began to cry out in protest, feeling insulted by his comment. Gohan looked at them in confusion, believing he had only paid them a warning.

"What! You think we're weak?" shouted the one in green, clearly angered.

Gohan frowned, "Well, you're stronger than most humans." He shrugged.

"I'll show you!" she cried at him. Suddenly, he felt her ki rise dramatically as she began to shout "Jupiter Sparkling Wide Pressure!" He saw a ball of lightening appear in her hands and begin to fly towards him. He held up his hand and caught it with ease, looking at it in bemusement.

"That's a pretty powerful attack!" he smiled at them again. Upon noticing their horrified expressions, he felt confused once more. "What did I do?" he clenched his hand that held the thunder ball and it disappeared into nothingness.

"I- I can't believe it!" gasped Sailor Jupiter.

Gohan shrugged, waving again and flying off back towards the school. Checking his watch, he cursed himself for this stupid distraction and knew he was going to be in serious trouble when he got back.

"Who was that guy?" growled Sailor Jupiter to her fellow scouts. They all shrugged and Sailor Moon stared after him with a thoughtful expression.

"What do you think Sailor Moon? Do you think he's a new enemy?" asked Sailor Venus, noticing the look and Sailor Moon shook her head.

"I'm not sure. But I don't think he was bad. I feel..." she paused for a moment, "I feel like I know him from somewhere."

Amy nodded, "I know what you mean. His face seems familiar to me."

The scouts looked at her in curiosity and she looked to the ground in thought.

"Well, I didn't sense any nega-vibes from him like I did with that creature." commented Sailor Mars, "He seemed quite simple."

"He was definitely powerful though. So I don't think we let our guard down just yet. It looks like we have a new enemy." warned Sailor Mercury, typing away on her compact computer once more. According to my readings, his power level while he was fighting that monster was more than three times our combined strength. And who knows if he was even at his full power?"

The other scouts looked horrified at the sudden news they were given and they watched as Sailor Mercury stared at her computer screen. "It's no wonder he was able to defeat that creature so easily. So be on guard scouts." They all nodded in agreement and found a secluded spot to power-down and before they headed back to school.


	4. Chapter 4

"SON GOHAN! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE MY CLASSROOM WITHOUT PERMISSION!" Shouted Miss Haruna. Gohan was far too used to his mother's fearsome anger to fear Miss Haruna. He would have rather fought Cell again 3 times over than face his mother's wrath. "I don't know what it was like at your previous school, but we don't behave like that here! DETENTION!"

Gohan sighed and nodded, accepting his fate and wondering how to explain to his mother why he will be home so much later than she will be expecting. It was a relief when he heard the lunch bell.

"Gohan!" He heard someone call and he turned from his locker to see Molly and Serena running over to him.

"Hi!" smiled Gohan.

"Do you want to come have lunch with us? We can introduce you to the others and it'll be super fun!" Molly grinned and Gohan nodded. Gohan's face suddenly became very serious when he looked at Serena. He felt her ki wave was the same as that of Sailor Moon. It was much lower, but definitely the same wave. She looked suddenly very nervous when he had that expression.

"Uh... something wrong Gohan?" she asked nervously laughing and he relaxed his face again; deciding that she was no harm, nor were the Sailor Scouts.

He smiled, "Sorry, you reminded me of someone for a minute. But sure, sounds like fun!" he closed his locker, grabbing his lunch bag and following them.

"So how come you ran out of class earlier?" asked Molly and Gohan felt a small blush of embarrassment creep onto his face.

"Yeah, that was way weird. What happened?" Serena asked.

"Well, uhh..." Gohan panicked, trying to think of an excuse really quickly. "I've been home-schooled my whole life and uhh..."

"Oh I see! So you didn't realise we have rules about when we want to leave class and everything. Makes sense, but I can enlighten you on all the rules and make sure you don't get into trouble again." Serena cut across him, making him laugh nervously and nod.

"Sure Serena, but you'd have to know and follow all the rules before you teach them to someone else." Molly said slyly, making Serena blush and Gohan laughed.

They lead Gohan to the rooftop of the school where he was introduced to the smartest girl in the school, Amy, who was a very pretty girl in their year with short blue hair and gentle blue eyes. He also met Mina, who was very dramatic and pretty, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. And then there was Lita, a tall and tough looking girl with bright green eyes and dark brown hair that was tied up. According to the others, she was the best cook they had ever met and Gohan smiled, thinking that no one could beat his mothers cooking.

He felt their ki waves and immediately knew they were the Sailor Scouts that he had met earlier. It was strange how much lower their ki waves now were, but he supposed they must be suppressing their true strength, just as he was. He decided to retain his judgement of the scouts until he had a bit more time to get to know them. Their powers might be useful against the new enemy after all.

As they sat to eat their lunch, they were all very nice to him and he felt very welcome; but were amazed at the size of his lunch.

"Where does he put it all?" gasped Mina, staring as he began his fourth tub of rice cakes and soup and pork chops and spring rolls and the wide range of other foods he had packed.

"We've finally met someone who eats more than Serena!" giggled Lita.

"HEY!" Serena growled in annoyance and the others laughed as well. Gohan blushed slightly, laughing with them. It was nice to meet people his own age for once. He was beginning to feel very comfortable.

"Say Gohan, can I try one?" Mina asked shyly, blushing as she spoke. He seemed slightly surprised at the way she was speaking to him but agreed, smiling happily; offering some of his food to the others as well.

"My mother is the best cook." He smiled as they tried some and saw stars light up in their eyes.

"Oh my, that's the best food I've ever tasted!" cried Serena.

"It's amazing!" Lita joined in, quickly finishing what she had and smiling brightly. "You HAVE to get her to teach me some of her secrets!"

Gohan laughed and nodded, "I'm sure she'd love to teach you. But it might be a bit difficult for you to get to."

They looked at him curiously, "Oh? Why's that?" Amy asked curiously.

"Well I live near the peak of Mount Paozu-"

"WHAT!" gasped Lita and Amy.

Mina and Serena seemed very confused at first; clearly geography was not their strong point.

"Isn't that about a 5 hour drive away?!" gasped Amy and Serena and Mina screamed in shock.

"5 HOURS?! No wonder you were late this morning!" Serena seemed so shocked and Gohan laughed nervously.

"Well, it's not that big of a deal for me. I tend to just fly in."

"Fly? You get a plane every day?" they all looked at him curiously and he felt he may have said too much. But, according to the stories his father had told him from when he was a child, everyone knew what a nimbus cloud was. He didn't have to tell them he was a Saiyan, but nimbus wouldn't be a big deal. Krillin and Yamcha are human and can fly, so surely that's not a big deal either?

"No, I flew in on my nimbus cloud this morning." He grinned as their faces looked even more confused.

"I've only ever heard of such a thing in legends!" Amy commented, looking at Gohan curiously.

"I'll call him right now if you like? He loves meeting new people!" grinned Gohan, standing up and cupping his hands around his mouth. "NIMBUS!" he shouted, "COME TO ME FLYING NIMBUS!"

There were a few moments of silence; Gohan watched the sky with a smile on his face. The other girls seemed very wary of him and Serena whispered to Mina, "I think he might be a bit of a nut-job." Mina was nodding very wisely in agreement.

Suddenly, they heard a scuttling sound approaching and Gohan grinned, holding out his arms to the sky as the Nimbus flew towards him and into his arms in a caring and affectionate embrace.

"Hello Nimbus! It's not time to go home yet, but some of my friends want to meet you!" he leapt onto the Nimbus and the girls cried out in shock to see him floating on this cloud. "Would either of you like to go for a ride?"

They all blushed lightly as he offered a hand to them.

"Can we?" asked Serena, coming closer to have a look at the cloud; a childish glee in her eyes.

"Sure." Grinned Gohan, "So long as you have a pure heart, you should be able to fly a Nimbus cloud."

"And if you don't?" questioned Lita curiously.

"You can't even get on it." Gohan laughed, scratching the back of his head, "You'll just fall through."

"I'll try it!" offered Serena bravely, stepping forward and taking his hand. She cautiously placed a foot on the cloud. Feeling there to be a solid surface beneath the fluffy outline, she felt braver and stepped into it completely. Her eyes shone with excitement. "This is amazing!" she gasped. Gohan let go of her hands and she quickly sat down, scared to lose balance due to her clumsiness.

He laughed at her blushing face, hardly realising that she had been embarrassed at how close they had been when he helped her up. He leapt down and offered a hand to one of the other girls. Mina was next to step forward and the Nimbus allowed her, too, to sit on it. There didn't seem to be much space for another of the girls, so Gohan asked the Nimbus to give them a quick whirl around the city.

"Wait! You're not coming with us?" gasped Serena and Gohan shrugged.

"I can if you like, but there's not much room left on the Nimbus."

"I don't mind sitting a little closer!" giggled Mina, blushing with her eyes shining in Gohan's direction. He laughed nervously, blushing at the request and shook his head.

"It's alright. I'll just fly along beside you."

"You have another-" Amy began to ask but all four girls gasped upon seeing Gohan float into the air.

"Come on Nimbus, I'll race you!" laughed Gohan, flying into the air. Serena and Mina screamed and the Nimbus followed Gohan at a tremendous speed.

Gohan laughed as the air rushed past his face and he allowed the Nimbus to fly alongside him. He curiously watched as the girls clung to the cloud, their eyes clenched shut and their hair flying all over the place.

Easily, Gohan out flew the aging Nimbus and arrived back to the rooftop with the other girls staring at him in amazement.

Serena and Mina arrived moments later, and simply fell off the Nimbus. Unable to get to grips with their legs. Gohan seemed very worried by their condition.

"Are you alright?" he gasped, taking Mina's arm to stop her from falling like Serena did.

"How do you know how to fly?!" gasped Lita. "Are you some sort of alien?!" she suddenly got to her feet in a fighting stance, ready to kick butt if needed.

"No no!" Laughed Gohan, waving his hands to stop any misunderstandings, "It was part of my training!"

"Training? For what?" accused Lita, still not convinced.

"I'm a student of the Turtle School of martial arts. It's part of their training. Everyone can do it if they're taught how." He laughed nervously.

Lita looked at him suspiciously, never letting her guard down. But Amy suddenly became very excited.

"You mean with **the **Master Roshi? I thought he stopped taking any new students after Kamesen Krillin and the former world champion, Son Goku-" Amy suddenly gasped. "Is he your father?"

Gohan nodded, a proud look crossed his face and his eyes shone. He smiled gently at Amy. "Yes, he was the one who trained me and he's the best fighter I know. You sure know a lot about martial arts. Are you a fighter also?"

Amy blushed slightly and smiled in return, "Not quite to your level, I'm sure. But I have studied the history in the past. I wanted to learn more about it when the Cell games were broadcast all over the place."

"Oh those! Yeah I heard about those! Sure is a good thing that Hercule was able to defeat that guy! HA HA HA HA!" Gohan laughed nervously and they all stared at him.

He may have overdone it.

Amy cleared her throat nervously, "Uhh, yes. But it's strange." She looked down thoughtfully and Gohan watched her curiously, "I don't believe that Mr Satan was the one to defeat Cell."

"WHAT! Amy! How could you say that?" cried Mina. Amy frowned at her and shrugged.

"I don't know. There were so many other fighters, and Cell seemed to knock Mr Satan away like he was nothing. When one of these other fighters was put against him, he was just incredible. They seemed pretty evenly matched. I don't think they knew what his name was, but he fought Cell for a while and then told a young boy to take over. And the next thing we hear is that Mr Satan won? Honestly, I don't believe it."

"It does sound suspicious now that you mention it." Lita agreed thoughtfully. "I think I was about 11 when that happened!"

Mina nodded, "I think we all were. I remember that young boy too, he was soo cute!" her eyes seemed to glaze over and shine again at the thought of him.

"Yeah, he was a total hunk!" agreed Lita, with the same expression. "And then they disappeared without a trace! I even called up the television studio to find out that hunkster's name and they didn't have any record of him whatsoever."

Gohan felt himself blushing brightly at their comments and laughed nervously. "We should probably get to class. It's almost the end of lunch."

"Oh! But we didn't get to have a go on the Nimbus!" complained Lita, snapping out of her daydreams of the young fighter she had seen at the Cell games.

Gohan smiled, his blush fading, "You can have a ride on him tomorrow. All I have to do is call him and he'll come to me."

"Yeah that sounds great!" cheered Lita enthusiastically.

"See you later Nimbus!" Gohan called and the cloud flew back into the sky very happily. As they walked back to class, Amy spoke to Gohan.

"So how long have you been in training?"

Gohan noticed a light blush to her face as she spoke to him and he couldn't really understand why.

Girls were strange.

"Well I'd been training with my father since I was 10. But I was with Mr Piccolo before that since I was about 4. I don't train as much as I used to though."

"Piccolo? Wasn't he a dangerous creature that attacked our world years ago? I read about him when I was looking into martial arts." Amy frowned at Gohan who laughed again nervously, quickly trying to cover up his mistake.

"Oh yeah, this is a different Piccolo. The guy you're thinking of was an evil guy who was defeated by my dad as a kid! My teacher Mr Piccolo is completely different." He laughed nervously again and Amy observed him, a thoughtful and curious look in her eyes.

"Your father was the one to defeat him? Wow. All I was ever able to find out was that it was a small and kind child in training for the world martial arts tournament." She smiled gently at Gohan who continued to feel slightly nervous from her questioning. He didn't realise that she would have known so much already. "So are you still in training now?" she continued.

He shrugged, "Well, I might have to get back into it. It's been a few years since I last trained properly."

"Oh? And why's that?" Amy frowned.

Gohan smiled sadly as he replied, "My father died a few years ago. I haven't really trained properly since."

"Oh! I'm so sorry for your loss. That's terrible." The genuine empathy Gohan felt radiating from Amy was very comforting and he smiled sadly at her again.

"Don't be sorry. He's not truly gone. I still feel his presence in my heart."

Amy smiled at Gohan as she left to go to her computer class, and he went for an English lesson. She blushed at the thought of him and found it difficult to concentrate for the next couple hours of the day. All she could truly think about was how beautiful his words were when he spoke of his father. She had noticed that, when they mentioned Son Goku that day, Gohan had the same proud gleam in his eyes. Amy felt honoured to know someone who admired their father as much as Gohan clearly did.


	5. Chapter 5

Purring to herself, happily, she pranced through the forests of Mount Paozu once more. That deer had been delicious, but many days had now past and she was beginning to feel hunger taking affect. Her mouth began to water, watching the large fish in the lake. Licking her lips once more, she climbed a tree that hung nearer the waters' edge. She curled up her body, ready to pounce. Her tail swished left and right but her ears suddenly twitched, picking up the small sound of humming. She cursed silently and scuttled back into the darkness to observe. The ki that was coming from this creature wasn't very high in comparison to her own, but she continued to suppress it. She blushed brightly as the young and handsome boy began to strip in front of her. She used her tail to quickly shield her eyes until she heard a splash. Looking back, she found she was waiting several minutes before the boy appeared once more. He laughed happily with a large fish in his hands. He threw the fish to shore and then swam around for a while, enjoying the cool feeling of the water on his skin. Resisting the urge to grab the fish and run, she waited patiently for him to leave. It took all of her concentration to continue to suppress her ki. She couldn't know if this boy was friend or foe, though he appeared to mean no harm. It was a risk she couldn't afford to take. If she was found, all would be lost.

Gohan was determined not to be late today. He flew in himself, instead of on Nimbus. Knowing he was faster than that cloud was always an advantage, but for a while it was also fun to have company. He enjoyed the cool morning breeze brushing through his hair and landed on the rooftop to the school with a good 15 minutes before homeroom began.

"HEY! HOW DID YOU DO THAT!" shouted someone from behind him, just as he was about to head to class. Curiously, Gohan looked around to find the source of the voice. It was a very tall and bulky guy, who looked one brain cell short of special care. He sized himself up to Gohan, who made no movement against the boy.

"Do what?" he asked simply, curiously looking at the other boys who were now also approaching him. They all appeared to be very broad and bulky, with not too much going on upstairs.

"How did you just appear here out of nowhere?" asked the same boy.

Gohan laughed slightly and smiled at them, unaffected by their attempts to intimidate him with their big muscles and superior height. "I flew in of course. Why? Don't you fly to school?"

"What! But we didn't see a chopper anywhere! Do you have it in a capsule case? Those things are damn expensive!" asked one of the boys standing beside the first one.

Gohan shook his head, still innocently observing these boys. "No, I don't need a helicopter to fly. I just can. Can't you?"

"What, are you some kind of superhero or something?" laughed one of the boys from his left and Gohan shook his head, laughing slightly.

"Very funny, but I need to head to class now. Please excuse me." Gohan turned to leave but they blocked his way. Cracking their knuckles in their fists and smirking at Gohan.

"We're not done with you yet squirt. We want to know how you got here."

Gohan sighed impatiently, "I told you knuckleheads already, I flew in. Now if you'll excuse me." He tried to get past them again and one of the guys grabbed his jacket.

"We said we're not done with you!" he cried and pulled Gohan back, aiming to forcefully throw him to the floor.

Gohan's Saiyan fighting reflexes kicked in before he could control them and his hands immediately shot out, catching himself easily before he hit the floor. He then proceeded to do a perfect back flip, kicking two of the boys in the face as he did so.

He landed silently and gracefully, crouching as he faced them with a disgruntled look on his kind face. "I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked gently, still frowning in annoyance. Despite his efforts, these boys seemed to be intent on making him late.

"Why you little twerp!" cried one of the boys that was still standing. Gohan sighed exasperatedly and jumped as the boy dived for him.

Easily and very gracefully, he somersaulted in the air and landed over the boys, crouched and watching them intently. One of them tried to sneak up on him, but Gohan could hear his thundering feet a mile away and could feel his movements in the air before he had even gotten close to trying to hit him. The boy he had jumped over tried to come and attack him as well. Now, two on one would've normally been very unfair. But right now, Gohan was finding it tiresome and boring. There wasn't any true challenge in these attacks and Gohan didn't even need to turn around to dodge the attacks from behind. He felt almost like closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to look into the hideous face of the boy trying to attack him from the front. He took a glance at his watch and his eyes widened; he only had 3 minutes to get to class!

"I don't have time for this!" he grumbled to himself in annoyance and ducked to his feet, swinging his foot around and tripping the boys that had been trying to attack him. Using his Saiyan speed, Gohan sped off towards homeroom before the boys even had a chance to open their eyes.

"Good morning Gohan!" greeted Amy as he walked in. He smiled and nodded to them as he headed to his seat. "I see you made it in on time today." She smiled brightly and Gohan felt a sheepish blush creep onto his face.

He scratched the back of his head and laughed, "Yeah just barely."

She looked at him curiously, a smile still in her eyes, "Did your Nimbus not get you here fast enough?"

He shook his head, still smiling. "I didn't use Nimbus today. I thought it'd be faster to just fly in myself. If I'm too tired, then I can use the Nimbus. Get a couple of extra hours of sleep." He laughed and Amy smiled at his sweet nature.

"Does it take you very long to fly in?" she wondered and just as Gohan was about to respond, there was a screaming coming from down the hallway.

The door slid open and Serena scrambled into her seat, pink in the face and gasping for air.

"I'm here!" she gasped, "I'm on time!"

Gohan and Amy laughed at their friend.

"Just barely" Amy giggled, "We still have two minutes until homeroom starts."

"Ahhhh!" Groaned Serena, "Two more minutes that I could've slept in!"

Gohan stared at her for a moment, not sure whether she was being serious. He burst into laughter once more. He could only conclude that Serena was a very strange girl.

"Hey guys! You'll never guess what I saw!" Lita cried, gasping slightly and pink in the face from her run. "Oh! And here you are anyway!" laughed Lita when she spotted Gohan.

He simply looked at her blankly, completely nonplussed to what she might be referring to.

"Lita, what're you talking about?" Serena asked, looking up at her friend. She seemed to have caught her breath.

"That was amazing! I wish I could do that kind of stuff!" Lita spoke to Gohan, clearly not having heard Serena. Gohan's expression was unwavering; he really had no clue what she might be talking about.

"Hello! Lita! Care to enlighten us on what you're talking about?" Serena said again, slightly annoyed that she was being ignored.

"You'll have to teach me to do that kind of stuff! I've not seen anyone move like that unless they're a gymnast!" she gazed at Gohan with shining eyes and admiration. He suddenly seemed very nervous and backed away slightly from Lita, a small blush creeping onto his innocent face.

"EARTH TO LITA!" shouted Serena and Lita jumped slightly.

"Serena! No need to shout!" she complained.

Serena huffed and gazed at her friend in frustration, "Well, if you would tell us what on earth you're talking about then I wouldn't have had to shout!"

"Oh! I didn't say?" she laughed at her own stupidity when everyone shook their heads, Gohan still looking very nervous at her sudden overly keen fondness of him.

"Well, I was up on the roof talking to some of the girls from cooking club and then we saw Gohan fly in and land in front of us. I don't think he saw we were there, because he was so fast! He looked like he'd just appeared out of nowhere! I mean, if I didn't know he could fly then I would've thought so too!" she glanced at Gohan and saw him blushing in embarrassment at her compliments. She winked at him, the smile on her face never faltering. "And so, you know Ruki and his gang?"

"Oh I hate those jerks!" Serena groaned and Amy nodded in agreement. "They always think they can push everyone around just because they're bigger than the rest of us. Oh I'd love to introduce him to a good friend of mine!" Serena grumbled the last part under her breath, touching the broach that was attached to the bow of her uniform; a small grin on her face.

Lita and Amy laughed nervously and Gohan pretended as though he hadn't heard her, though his Saiyan hearing caught it as easily as if she had been speaking at a normal volume.

"Well!" Lita quickly continued, "They must've thought Gohan appeared out of nowhere. Who could blame them really? But they started being their usual selves and surrounded him, trying to get him to tell them how he got here. I mean, I heard him telling them that he flew in, but they just wouldn't believe him. No surprise there either really, they're as thick as concrete. But then I think they thought Gohan was trying to make a fool of them and they tried to fight him. But oh they were in for it! Gohan kicked their butt! They couldn't even lay a hand on him!" Lita punched her fist into the air, a clear sound of satisfaction and admiration in her tone. "You have to teach me to fight like that!" she cried again, looking at Gohan with starry eyes.

He blushed at the sight of her gaze, but before he could reply, Miss Haruna called for the class to begin and Lita was forced to retire to her seat, much to Gohan's relief. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to show them that he could fly?

As he made notes during that history lesson, Gohan pondered how different people were as compared to the stories his father had told him. When he spoke of his experiences as a child, going around the world for life experience and training, he spoke of the fights he had been in and the villages he had saved, in return, they often fed him. Though, he never helped them for a reward. A very clear message had been sent to Gohan during these tales, that you help those in need out of the goodness of your heart, not for anything more.

He sighed quietly as he thought about this; his life experiences were so different to that of his fathers. Sure he liked to study, but it was strange being around people and having to hide his Saiyan heritage. It made it so difficult to explain, well, anything. Simple things like flying, something Krillin and Yamcha managed easily and both of whom were just human, seemed to amaze everyone. His Nimbus cloud as well, which had been handed down to him from his father, was another thing that they were so amazed by. And that fight on the roof. Truly, there was hardly any skill involved. Gohan made no effort to use any strength, for fear he may actually hurt the boys he was against. Yet Lita had been so thrilled with that fight and had even wanted training from Gohan. What was he to say to that? It seemed too simple of a fight to even try to explain how he did what he did.

What did he even do? He dodged them, and then he tripped them. That was it. What was so special about that? But when he defeated Cell, no one knew anything of it. Gohan was relieved about this, but angered as well. He appreciated that Amy and the others seemed to not believe Mr Satan's version of the events, but his mother could have benefitted from the money. He had more than once suggested that he could get a job in town and help with the finances in the house, but he was shot down every time. His mother insisted that his only job, for now, was to get good grades. So he did, and intended to carry on being the best he could so he could make her proud... So he could make his father proud.

Soon enough, it was their lunch break once again and Gohan joined the girls on the rooftop. He blushed hard whilst being forced to sit through Lita retelling Mina and Molly about the morning's events.

"It really wasn't that much of a big deal." Gohan muttered shyly, laughing nervously as he ate his lunch.

"I thought it was wonderful!" Lita praised, that same look of admiration crossing her eyes. "I'd love to learn how you do all this stuff!"

"What stuff?" Gohan looked at her slightly blankly, not really sure what was so special about anything he did. He felt that maybe he wasn't quite as aware of his abilities as he thought he was, when it came to humans.

"Oh it all sounds so amazing!" Mina chimed in with Lita, the same starry look of admiration in her eyes. Gohan backed up a bit, a forced smile beginning to grace his face as he became very nervous. These girls were very head on and dramatic, quite strange compared to what he was used to. Perhaps this is what all teenage girls were like? It might have been a better idea to remain home-schooled.

"You can fly, you can fight, you're super smart and not to mention super nice and super cute!" giggled Serena, winking at him with her last point. "It's a wonder you're not famous."

"Yeah!" Mina suddenly stood up with a look of determination in her eyes. Gohan's eyes widened and he had a sudden urge to fly away as fast as he could, but he resisted. "I can see it now! You should be sharing your skills with the world! It's not every day we meet someone as talented as you and you're a treasure to the planet! With my help, we can make you a star! I know all the right people and we'll fix it all up. Girls will be all over you! You'll have your name in lights! You're going to be big big BIG!" She pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on her face, trying to look like an agent. She grinned at the terrified Gohan. "What do you say honey-pie?"

Gohan just blushed and continued to stare at the crazy blonde girl, unsure of what to do next. Amy, Lita and Serena stared at Mina for a few moments before they burst into laughter.

"Gohan, take no notice of Mina. Her ideas get away with her sometimes and she becomes rather extravagant..." Amy giggled and Gohan nodded stiffly, still unsure of how to behave. He laughed nervously but his smile vanished when the same boys from the morning approached him again; this time, with more bulky guys to back up their gang.

"Hey! You're that twerp from this morning!" growled the leader, who Gohan now knew to be Ruki. Gohan stood up and faced them, frowning angrily at the boys.

"What do you want now?" he growled and he heard the girls get to their feet behind him.

"Get lost Ruki!" called Lita bravely, beginning to roll up her sleeves.

"It's OK Lita." Gohan said suddenly. He hadn't even looked back at her, which is what seemed to have surprised her most. "I can handle this. A warrior's battle is fought alone." He spoke solemnly and glared onwards as Ruki and his gang laughed at Gohan's words.

"Oh! That's precious! There are no warriors in this day and age kid." jeered Ruki.

"There's no pride in fighting a battle on an unfair playing field." Gohan smirked, "You're welcome to call for more back up. You'll need it if you want to try to take me on."

Ruki's jaw dropped and he felt the eyes of his gang turn to him, looking slightly nervous at what they should do next. The girls watched the scene nervously. Lita was itching to get in on the action, but respected Gohan's wish to face them alone. He could feel his Saiyan blood itching for a fight, but this would be nowhere near challenging enough. He had to try and stay in control.

"There's no sense in fighting at all, Ruki. You're just going to get us all in trouble." Gohan stated and Ruki growled.

"You're just trying to back out of a challenge! You know you can't take me on, how pathetic!" and his friends laughed. Gohan couldn't help it and rolled his eyes at the pitiful words that left Ruki in his attempt to impress his friends.

"You couldn't handle me this morning, when I didn't even do anything. What makes you think you can handle me better now? I still won't do anything. I don't want to hurt you." Gohan spoke calmly and Ruki glared before charging at Gohan, fist raised and ready to strike. Gohan dodged it easily and left Ruki to fall to the floor in his own clumsiness.

"This is really unnecessary." Gohan said from the sidelines, looking down at Ruki with an unimpressed frown.

"H-how could you dodge that!" Ruki gasped.

"I told you that all I did was fly in for school this morning." Gohan jumped as a few of the gang members tried to dive at him from behind. Without meaning to, he jumped a good 50 feet into the air and floated down, gracefully balancing on the thin metal fence that surrounded the rooftop. Everyone was now watching Gohan, who stood without on the fence without any real effort and looked down at the gang members. "And it's a shame that you don't believe me. Everyone is capable of flying. It's a skill that was just forgotten as our society modernised and the old ways died down."

One of Ruki's other gang boys ran forward to try to shake the fence that Gohan was stood on, in an attempt to make him fall. Gohan rolled his eyes and, before the boy had even reached the fence, he held out his arms either side of himself and let himself fall backwards.

He heard screams and shouts from the other students as they all seemed to run forwards to watch him fall. He simply somersaulted in the air and floated there, very much at ease. The same irritated frown was etched on his face as he flew up and then gently floated back to the rooftop, landing with utter silence and pure grace. The entire gang were now cowering away from Gohan. Whilst other members of the school looked on cautiously.

"S-stay away from us! Y-you absolute freak!" they cried as they ran away. Gohan sighed sadly, his expression becoming solemn once more. Perhaps he should simply return home. He might not be ready for public school like his mother thought. He didn't know what was normal for humans, but clearly flying wasn't part of it.

"Gohan?" he felt a gentle hand placed on his arm and he looked down at Amy, who had spoken his name very softly. She smiled at him and he smiled gently at her.

"I'm fine." He muttered and sat with them again. He released a weak sigh and didn't really contribute to conversation for the rest of their lunch period. Nor did he say much for the rest of the day for that matter.

"Gohan?" Serena approached him as the final bell rang for the day and he looked up at her, snapping out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, smiling gently at her as he packed up his things and got up to leave. "I'm fine; just have a lot on my mind."

"Well a few of us are going to the arcade to play games and get some milkshakes. Do you want to come?" she smiled sweetly at him, but he stared at her blankly. After a few moments, she grew a bit disheartened. "Well, you don't have to but, you know, we'd like you to be there!"

"Sorry," laughed Gohan, putting his hand behind his head, "I wasn't saying I don't want to go. I just, don't know what an arcade is." He laughed again at his foolishness.

"You serious?" grumbled Serena before grabbing his arm with a happily childish expression and practically dragging him to meet the other girls. "The arcade is the best place on earth! It's a place to play loads of different types of computer games on your own or with your friends and you get lots of yummy treats there too!" They met the others at the school gates. "He's never been to an arcade! Girls, we must rectify this madness immediately!" She proudly held her fist into the air and they all laughed as they left.


	6. Chapter 6

"Goku!" called King Kai, "You need to calm down. Have something to eat?" the King laughed at the sudden attention that one word had caught from the Saiyan and Goku smiled sheepishly.

He had been training even harder than before, since he witnessed Gohan fight against a new enemy. He wasn't sure what the creature was, and King Kai had never seen it before either. It was a strange occurrence that made Goku feel very uneasy. He couldn't just sit around and do nothing!

_Gohan is so unfocused! Doesn't he understand that he needs to train even harder than before? He needs to keep his guard up! He's putting everyone at risk if he's not prepared! We don't even know what kind of an enemy we're dealing with! An Ascended Saiyan might not be enough if they start sending stronger warriors!_ Goku continued to punch and kick the air angrily, feeling the effect the weights on his arms and legs.

He knew how important school was for Gohan and he was pleased that his son was making friends his own age now. But it was a mystery to Goku why Gohan hadn't begun his proper training already? He felt so helpless, not being able to get involved. If Gohan didn't start his training with Piccolo and the others soon, he might not be able to handle the next creature that attacks.

Goku sighed as he returned to the ground, his stomach rumbling loudly. He removed his training weights and all conscious thought was suddenly blown from his mind as he began to devour the wonderful meal lain before him.

Gohan laughed happily with his friends at the arcade. They watched as Serena and Mina struggled with the new Sailor V video game, whilst Amy seemed to have no difficulties with it whatsoever. Her skills began to attract a small crowd, at which point she decided she'd had enough for one day.

During this trip, Serena had introduced Gohan to her boyfriend, Darien, and their other friend, Rei, who attended a different school.

"So Gohan, what kind of training do you get up to? The girls told me you're a very devoted martial artist." Smiled Darien. Gohan appreciated his company; it was nice not to be the only boy around them, but he wasn't sure how to explain his training.

He paused for a moment to think how best to explain it to humans.

"Well, I tend to just spar with my old master. Though since my father passed away, I've not really done much." He said rather sheepish, sipping at the milkshake that Darien had so kindly bought for him. When they found out that he didn't have much money, they didn't seem to mind helping out at all. Gohan didn't really understand, since he didn't feel money was necessary on a regular basis. But regular people seemed to use it for everything.

"Yeah Darien, you should see this guy in action!" Lita suddenly chimed in excitedly. "He kicked butt today against Ruki and his gang. And he didn't even lift a finger! It must have been his dad's training. I mean, did you know his dad is THE Son Goku?"

"The former world champion?" Darien asked, recognising the name and looked impressed when Lita nodded. "Wow Gohan, it's no wonder you're so talented. So are you training to become the world champion like your father?"

Gohan blushed at the praise and looked down and muttered quietly, "Not really."

"What was that?" Serena enquired, ungluing herself from Darien's arm long enough to lean uncomfortably close to Gohan, in an attempt to hear him better.

He laughed very nervously when he realised they might have heard him. "I mean uh, not really since, you know. Mr Satan is the defending champion and everything! I'm not even close to being strong enough to defeat the champion of the earth! HA HA HA HA!"

They looked at him strangely as he nervously scratched the back of his head. He had a feeling he might have over done it again. In an attempt to switch conversation from himself, he tried to ask Darien about his work. But Darien admitted he was still just at college and took on whatever jobs he could handle from time to time to keep himself going.

"Hey Gohan, do me and Amy get a chance to ride your Flying Nimbus today?" Lita suddenly asked very excitedly.

"Oh yes! I forgot about that!" laughed Amy.

"I had to admit, I'm pretty curious to see it myself. The girls told me all about it yesterday." Rei spoke with a dreamy gaze towards Gohan. He laughed nervously again.

Why are girls so strange?

As they stepped outside, Gohan floated into the air, cupped his hands around his mouth and called "FLYING NIMBUS! COME TO ME FLYING NIMBUS!" he held out his arms in a welcoming embrace and the Nimbus cloud flew into them within a few minutes. He laughed at the affectionate gesture and floated down with the Nimbus.

"Alright, try and hop on. Be careful."

Darien and Rei had been watching Gohan in awe, having never seen him fly before. Whilst the others excitedly rushed towards the Nimbus cloud. Lita and Amy carefully climbed on board and Gohan flew beside them while they flew over the city. He laughed, enjoying the feel of the wind rushing through his hair.

His expression changed very suddenly. He felt it. Powerful ki energy, similar to that which he had felt a few days ago. He immediately stopped and stared in the direction it had come from. Nimbus stopped as well, upon realising his friend was no longer taking part in their game.

"Gohan?" Amy asked, looking at him with worried eyes when he looked so serious all of a sudden.

"Nimbus, take Amy and Lita back to the others. I'll be there soon, ok?" He charged up his energy and flew at full speed towards the source of that ki, whilst Amy and Lita's cries of protest could be heard as Nimbus flew them to safety.

He had to find it this time. He had to know what it was.

He arrived at the source of the ki and saw what appeared to be a giant mutated bear attacking people, screaming for pure souls once more. Gohan powered up into his Super Saiyan state and called to the beast.

"Hey ugly! Leave them alone!" he shouted. The beast turned to face Gohan, who stood his ground in a fighting stance. Ready to take it on.

He sighed exasperatedly as he felt the approaching ki of the Sailor Scouts once more.

"Mars Flame Shooter!" one of them cried, and Gohan witnessed a powerful red flaming arrow fly past him and hit the bear directly. It stumbled backwards momentarily before roaring angrily at the scouts.

"You need to get away from here." Gohan warned as they reached him. "It's not safe. He's more powerful than you."

"Not a chance buddy!" shouted Sailor Moon and she turned to face the creature, "You have no right to disturb the peace of my planet. Most bears are cute and cuddly, but you most certainly are not. I am Sailor Moon and we are the Sailor Scouts!"

Gohan felt himself groan in annoyance at her stupid speech.

"And in the name of the moon, we shall punish you!" she cried, pointing at the beast after she had finished waving about.

Gohan glanced at her, looking very unimpressed. "Finished?" he asked and she scowled at him.

"Hey! Don't be so rude! We're only here to help you know!" Sailor Moon shouted at him, almost like a small child.

"You're only going to get hurt." He grumbled and she stuck her tongue out at him, very immaturely.

Suddenly, a rose landed in front of Gohan's feet and he looked up to the source. He knew immediately from the ki wave that it was Darien. Again, his wave was more powerful than it had been earlier, but it was still no match for the monster. He was stood on a lamppost nearby.

"Fighting amongst allies never solved any problems Sailor Moon. You need to learn to fight together and support one another in these troubled times!" he leapt down and landed beside Sailor Moon, who gazed at him dreamily. "I am Tuxedo Mask, defender of the earth and it's people, and protector of the Sailor Scouts!"

Gohan stared at Tuxedo Mask, or Darien, and resisted the urge to facepalm. Did these people really think they could handle such creatures?

Suddenly, he looked back as he felt a surge of energy coming his way. It was sending a strange attack towards him, similar to that of a ki blast but not quite. The girls around him began to scream and he heard a few of them beginning to charge up their attacks. Gohan saw Tuxedo Mask shield Sailor Moon with his cape.

Readying himself, he cried out "MAAASENKO!" and shot a ki blast at the creature that was more powerful. The creature cried out in agony as it was destroyed very quickly in the blast.

Gohan felt its' ki disappear and sighed, relaxing himself but maintaining his Super Saiyan state. He looked angrily at the girls, who seemed shocked that he had just done that. Tuxedo Mask seemed to observe him with a thoughtful and curious gaze.

"You're not as powerful as these creatures. I can handle them. You're just putting yourselves in danger unnecessarily." He growled before powering up and shooting off into the air. He had to think of a decent excuse for flying off so suddenly. He powered down once he knew he was out of view and relaxed in the air, pondering these creatures.

When he arrived back at the arcade, he found he had beaten the Scouts back; providing him with enough time to grab his stuff and fly off. He couldn't think of an excuse for his behaviour and decided to face them at school the next day instead.

He had homework to do anyway.

As he flew, he sensed a familiar ki below him and laughed happily.

"Hello Trunks!" he called to the happy four-year old. The small demi-Saiyan had only recently mastered the art of flying, though he was still often very shaky. Gohan slowed down so the child could catch up and he happily played with him in the air for a while. When it was clear that Trunks was growing tired, Gohan took him in his arms and carried him back to Capsule Corporation.

"Oh Trunks!" gasped Bulma as she spotted her son in the arms of her friend, "There you are sweetie! Where did you go for so long?"

"I was playing with my friend!" he said happily, pointing at Gohan.

Gohan smiled at Bulma, "Hey Bulma, what's up?" She smiled.

"Hello Gohan, long time no see! Do you want to come in? I was just about to get a coffee, but I could make you a hot chocolate?"

"Sure! Sounds great!" Gohan eagerly followed his father's oldest friend into the home she shared with the proud Saiyan prince, Vegeta.

He noticed Vegeta's ki was coming from the training room, _where else?_Gohan laughed to himself at his own thoughts.

"So how's school been? Met any nice girls?" Bulma joked almost knowingly as they settled down with their drinks. Trunks lay on the sofa with his head resting on his mothers' lap, a warm bottle of milk in his mouth. His tired eyes were beginning to droop.

Gohan laughed, a small blush rising to his face. "Well... I've met a few girls in my class, yeah." He then found himself frowning, looking down into his drink.

"Oh really! Wow Gohan, you sure do work fast! It's no surprise really. You're just as good looking as your dad was at your age." laughed Bulma, sipping at her coffee. She then noticed his expression and looked at him thoughtfully. "Hey, Gohan, what's up? You look troubled."

He looked up at Bulma and sighed, he could at least tell her right?

"Don't tell my mom ok? She'll freak."

Bulma frowned sceptically but nodded.

"I've been sensing some strange and powerful energy lately. And I've had to face a few weird creatures. It was nothing I couldn't handle; they weren't very powerful. But a couple of weeks ago, I sensed a really powerful energy near my house. I went to check it out but it disappeared really quick. And since then, these strange monsters started appearing. I don't really know what it could mean." He felt himself frowning further as he thought of the Sailor Scouts, unsure of whether or not to tell Bulma about them. He decided against revealing their identity for now, but felt her insight might be useful. He glanced up at her and saw her frowning at him, a thoughtful gaze in her eyes.

"And every time I went to fight a weird monster," he continued, "this group of girls appeared. They called themselves the Sailor Scouts. I don't know why they were there, I mean, they're not very powerful." Gohan seemed to grumble the last part of his statement slightly bitterly and Bulma found herself actually laughing at the young Saiyan.

"Oh Gohan! I'm surprised you haven't heard of the legendary Sailor Scouts." Smiled Bulma, taking another sip of her coffee. "They're a group of female warriors that have been gifted with the power of the planets in our solar system. They're the true guardians of the earth, by birthright; looks lie they've taken over for Goku these last few years." She smiled knowingly at the boy, who seemed to stare at her in surprise.

"THEY are the guardians of the earth? Really? What about when Cell or Freeza tried to take over?"

Bulma shrugged, "I don't know. I've only heard about them in the last couple of years. Maybe they were too young? From what I've heard, they're just a group of teenage girls. And not many people in the world knew about Freeza anyway, and they obviously weren't there when Goku fought him on Namek."

Gohan frowned. He'd been in training since he was 4 years old and had earned all the power that was at his disposal. As he thought back to the recent battles he had been involved in, they hadn't really done much. Their attacks did minimal true damage. These girls sounded like they had just been given this planet power and had no real idea how to use it.

"So you think I can trust them and I should just leave the battles to them?" Gohan asked her quietly, looking thoughtfully at his drink again. He sipped it slowly.

Bulma leant back on the sofa and looked down at her sleeping son. "I don't know Gohan. They're good people. So I know you can trust them. But if you don't think they're particularly powerful, then maybe they need a bit of Saiyan strength?" She winked at him and he smiled, laughing slightly.

"How's your Mom? And Goten?" Bulma asked, finishing her coffee and slowly stroking the lilac hair of her sleeping son.

"They're fine. I think Mom just misses Dad a lot; but Goten's really happy and getting stronger every day." Gohan found himself laughing as he told stories of Goten's Saiyan strength. The many things he had already broken were driving his mother insane and he couldn't help wondering if he had been like that as a child.

Bulma laughed with him, "Well it sounds like Goku more than you, Gohan. He definitely sounds like your father's son. You were far too gentle and polite when you were little."

"And I'm not now?" joked Gohan and they both laughed.

"Hey, how about I give your Mom a call and send one of my choppers out to pick up her and Goten? Then you can stay for dinner and we can have a nice catch up. It's been years since we last saw you! I'm sure Trunks would like to play with Goten too." She smiled fondly at her son and pulled out her cell phone as Gohan nodded happily.


	7. Chapter 7

Though he had enjoyed the evening before with his old friends, Gohan watched the clouds go by as he flew towards school the following day, thanking Kami that it was the weekend soon. He sighed to himself in frustration as he tried to think of valid excuses to explain his sudden departure the previous day. Today he would have preferred to just not go to school altogether. But he thanked his Saiyan reflexes when he had said this to his mom, having barely ducked out of the way of that dreaded frying pan of doom: his mother's usual weapon of choice when it came to disciplining her sons. He had received an earful about becoming an out of control delinquent after that, and of course, Chichi had blamed Goku. Even when his poor father wasn't with them, he was getting all the blame.

He sighed as he landed on the rooftop once more and walked to his classroom, no longer confronted with questions about his arrival techniques from annoying 'bullies'. He was greeted again by Serena, Amy, Molly and Lita. He smiled at them, but sat on the other side of the classroom by the window instead; he was going to attempt not say anything for the day, so he could figure out what to do. An idea had been bothering him since his tal with Bulma. He folded his arms on his desk and placed his head down, closing his eyes weakly.

_'Piccolo?'_ Gohan called, using the weak telepathic connection that the Namekian warrior had taught him about so long ago.

_'Yes Gohan? Why haven't you come to the lookout for training yet?'_ Responded his former master.

_'I'm sorry Piccolo. I couldn't tell my mom that there was something else to worry about! I don't think we need to train just yet. That strange energy hasn't shown up again. Maybe it was a misreading?'_

_'Gohan! You know it wasn't a misreading. Your duty as a Saiyan warrior is to protect this planet. You know you need to train! You've fought some of the creatures this enemy is sending already. What's going on with you?'_

Gohan could hear the genuine concern in his teacher's voice, underneath his anger, and released a weak sigh, _'I'm sorry Piccolo. I want to be there for my mom right now. I've fought these creatures and they're not very powerful. If that first ki shows up again, then I'll come to start training.'_

_'Gohan, if that ki shows up again, it might be too late.'_

Gohan cut the connection, unsure why he had even tried to speak to Piccolo about this. He knew that all Piccolo would speak to him about would be continuing his training. He felt like he needed a friend to talk to about this, but he didn't know anyone. He sat up and looked outside, wishing again that his father were still alive.

Though Bulma's advice had been useful, he still wasn't sure what to tell his new friends.

Amy watched Gohan from across the room with a thoughtful and worried gaze. Their new friend had disappeared so suddenly yesterday, and then appeared to be very down spirited today. They hadn't been able to find him after the Sailor Scouts were called to duty. When they had returned to the arcade, Andrew told them that Gohan had come in, collected his stuff and left very quickly.

"Do you think he might be mad at us?" Serena asked Amy, following her worried gaze to the dark haired boy across the room. "I mean, he might've thought that we left the arcade without him?"

Amy shook her head in uncertainty.

"Should we try talking to him?" Lita asked and Amy shook her head again, continuing to look worried about her new friend.

"No." Amy said quietly, "I don't think we should bother him just now. But I'm worried about him guys, he looks so troubled." The others nodded as they continued to observe their friend.

Amy smiled slightly as she saw him gently blowing his black bangs out of his eyes without much success, his short spikey hair sticking out at rough angles, as though cut by a very inexperienced barber. Somehow, it was a look that suited him well, and Amy couldn't shake this feeling that she had seen that same hairstyle somewhere before.

"Oh do you think it's because Darien was asking about his dad?" Mina suggested, pulling Amy out of her thoughts.

"WHAT! You think he's like this because of MY Darien!" she angrily shouted at her friend. Mina cowered in fear as she faced the loud and squeaky moon princess.

Mina quickly waved her hands in front of her face, "No! I just meant maybe he's like this because we mentioned his dad again? Maybe we shouldn't ask about his dad and his training so much? I mean, there must be a reason he gave it up to start with! I know if I'd lost my dad, I wouldn't like people to keep asking me about it and I wouldn't like to be reminded about it a lot either. We might've mentioned it too much?" Mina said wisely, crossing her arms and nodding as she spoke. Serena looked over at their friend once again, with a concerned gaze.

"I'm going to go talk to him." She suddenly said, getting to her feet. Only to shrink back down as Miss Haruna called the class to attention, and began teaching them literature.

Gohan was only too happy to have a distraction from his own thoughts. But it was difficult to focus on the meanings of Shakespeare's Othello when he had bigger things on his mind.

'_Dad, what would you do?'_ he thought to himself, mentally sighing. He knew what his dad would do in his place. When faced with a challenge, Son Goku would meet it head on; sometimes quite literally. He wouldn't be considering standing by and missing out on all the action. He pondered the situation the entire morning and had finally made up his mind when it came to the lunch period.

"Hey Gohan!" greeted Serena, as Gohan took his lunch from his locker. He smiled at her in his usual cheerful manner, feeling much better now that he had a plan.

"Hey Serena, how're you doing?"

Her face was suddenly uncomfortably close to his as she seemed to be analysing him. His eyes widened and he leant backwards a bit, trying to create a bit more personal space. "Uhh... Is there something on my face?" he laughed nervously.

Her face contorted into a frown and she backed away again, much to Gohan's relief. "I was worried about you Gohan." She replied, "You didn't want to speak to us this morning and we thought you might be avoiding us."

"We?" Gohan's innocent face looked past Serena to see the other girls wave at him slightly awkwardly. His large dark eyes looked at them curiously. "Why would I be avoiding you?" he asked genuinely.

Serena frowned at him again, "Well, we were worried that we might have upset you yesterday."

"Huh? Upset me?" he frowned, scratching his head in confusion. "How did you come up with that?"

"Well," Serena continued, looking slightly guilty. "I mean, if it's because of what Darien said then I'll make sure he doesn't mention it again. He didn't know and he was just trying to be nice. He's honestly a really great guy."

He looked even more confused than before, "I'm sorry Serena but I don't know what you're talking about. What did Darien say to me that upset me?"

Serena stared at him for a moment then frowned angrily, "Well, we thought you might be upset that he mentioned your dad. I mean, I know I'd get upset if my friends kept mentioning something like that when I clearly didn't want to talk about it." Serena folded her arms over and closed her eyes, nodding very wisely as she spoke. "So it's only natural that you cracked and got upset after Darien mentioned it too, because it meant we'd told someone else." She looked dramatically into the distance with starry eyes, interlinking her fingers, "We betrayed your trust and you just couldn't bare the thought of being around us after that! If you can ever forgive us, we'll try to respect your past more! I make no promises, I mean, me and my big mouth tend to speak before we think." She muttered as an afterthought, frowning at her own stupidity.

Gohan had stared at his friend for her entire performance. His eyes widened and his expression rather blank, not knowing how to respond to her little scene. He did what only felt natural and laughed. "Serena, you don't need to worry about that! I'm not upset!"

She looked up at him with bright eyes and he smiled back at her in his usual cheerful Son way.

"I don't mind talking about my dad! He was a great man and I'm proud to be his son. I love telling people about him." He smiled brightly and Serena felt a wave of relief wash over her.

"Phew! Gohan you had me really worried there for a second!" she laughed as he apologised. She looked at him with narrowed eyes very suddenly, which made him step back nervously at her sudden mood swings.

These teenage girls seemed to have more mood swings than a pregnant woman, and he should know. He lived alone with the most violent pregnant woman the world shall ever see.

"So tell me something, Gohan. Why were you so upset this morning if it wasn't anything we did? And why did you fly off yesterday when we were at the arcade?"

Gohan laughed nervously, "How about I tell everyone together? I'm pretty sure the others will want to know too." His stomach grumbled loudly, making Serena look down at it curiously. Gohan blushed, "And I'm starving!"

Serena's stomach grumbled loudly and she blushed too, placing her hands over it. "Me too!" she gasped and they both laughed, heading to the roof to meet the others.

They all asked him the same questions as Serena as he sat down with them, and Gohan felt touched that they cared so much, and guilty that he'd made them feel like this.

"Really guys, I'm fine. It wasn't anything you did. You should stop worrying so much." He laughed, "I was just tired this morning."

Mina and Lita exchanged sceptical looks and Amy just looked at Gohan with a concerned gaze. He felt as though she were x-raying him, and couldn't face looking into her eyes. He redirected his gaze to his food and began shovelling it into his mouth.

"Yeah right Gohan! What's your real excuse?" Lita suddenly exclaimed and Gohan looked up at her in surprise, mouth too full of rice to respond.

"Yeah, you don't expect us to by that do you? You've looked really troubled all morning." Mina agreed and Gohan looked at them both in surprise. He hadn't realised how observant girls were sometimes.

**Sometimes.**

"Uh, well. My old master, Piccolo, has been trying to get me to start training with him again. I've been thinking about whether or not it's a good idea." Gohan looked down at his food, picking at it sheepishly as he spoke.

"Well, why not? It's always good to learn more and it'd be worth it to become the best." Lita spoke enthusiastically and Gohan looked at her.

He smiled at her spirit and encouragement. Turning his gaze to the sky, Gohan was reminded of his father: always wanting to be the best he could be, always trying to be stronger and doing everything he did with a carefree smile. "Yeah, that's what I used to think." He said, more to himself, a sad smile gracing his lips as he thought of his father. "It's what my dad always taught me. He devoted his life to doing good and helping other people and becoming stronger." Gohan paused for a moment, feeling shame as he finally admitted it aloud, "I don't like to fight. But it's something I feel I have to do."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Gohan." Mina said, smiling at him cheerfully.

"Except math." Serena grumbled from the sidelines.

"SERNEA!" shouted the others and she shrunk against their loud voices.

"Sorry!" she quickly apologised and Gohan laughed. He looked down at his food and continued to speak.

"I feel like I haven't had a choice in what I do since I was a kid. Piccolo was a tough teacher, but he was my first real friend. And he taught me to be tough and to rely on myself; to be independent and self-reliant, just like my dad was when he was my age. And when I was training with my dad, it was really different. He was kinder than Piccolo, but he's stronger too, so he was always scared that he'd hurt me." Gohan frowned as he thought of their year together in the hyperbolic time chamber, "I advanced a lot faster with him once we got past that though. But after he died, I gave up fighting."

He felt his fists clench in anger as he continued to speak his mind, not really paying attention to the fact that his friends were listening intently to his words. He felt tears brim his eyes as he thought to that fateful day, and he fiercely tried to blink them away.

He could still see that last look he received from his father before he teleported Cell from this world. He could still hear his father's voice helping him in that final kamehameha wave. He felt the weight in his heart that, no matter how many told him otherwise, he knew to be true.

"It's my fault." Gohan finally said, in a voice so quiet it was barely above a whisper.

He couldn't believe that it still hurt him so much after so long. He thought he had learnt to deal with the loss. Being able to speak about him seemed so much easier a few minutes ago. Whenever he thought back to the last time he saw his father, all he felt was guilt and remorse.

"I was strong enough and I didn't finish it when I had the chance." Gohan whispered, his fists clenching even tighter as he began to shake. He felt someone touch his shoulder and he looked up to see the gentle blue gaze that belonged to Amy; she smiled at him softly.

Gohan realised what he'd said to them all.

"Gohan-" Amy began and he shrugged her hand off his shoulder, getting to his feet very suddenly.

"I'm sorry, I- I need to be alone for a while." He stuttered quietly, his voice breaking slightly with emotion. He then rose into the air and disappeared behind the clouds; away from human eyes.

He sat on his father's Nimbus cloud, a gift Goku had received as a child for the kindness in his pure heart. Gohan admired the beautiful Nimbus cloud and, for the first time in a good few years, Gohan cried over the loss of his father.

* * *

A/N 1: I know this probably seems a bit too emotional for Gohan, but I don't think there was a true reflection of how a father's death can affect his child in the anime. Obviously, we don't see how the family learn to deal with Goku being gone, we just have to assume that they do. I always imagined that it would be something difficult to get over. Especially in Gohan's case, where he was only 11 and knows if he had destroyed Cell when he had the chance, then Goku would still be alive. It's important for what happens later on in the plot as well, so please don't be angry with me about this behaviour!

A/N 2: I've got a LOT of project deadlines coming up over the next few weeks (3 this week, 3 next week, 2 the week after and 2 more the week after that! I swear my lecturers are trying to suffocate me under all this work!) and I don't get very long to do them since we only get the specification 2 - 3 weeks before the work is due. So if my updates slow down, I do apologise. But bare with me, I'm going to try to write and update as much as I can!


	8. Chapter 8

There was a loud cry coming from the newest addition to the Son household in the extremely early hours of the morning. Gohan heard his mother struggling to calm his brother, Goten, as he continued to wail in his sleep. It seemed that, despite her best efforts, Goten was still upset about something that Chichi just couldn't figure out. Gohan wandered into his mothers' room, where she lay on her marital bed with his baby brother in his fathers' place.

"Shhh. Goten, it's ok. Mama's here." Chichi continued to coo to her youngest son, her eyes were itching with exhaustion. She glanced up as she saw a small light from the hallway and sighed weakly, "Sorry Gohan. Just go back to bed. I'll calm him down soon enough."

But Gohan gazed at his brother with a thoughtful frown and approached him, crawling onto the bed until he was kneeling beside the crying child.

"Goten." He called gently, stroking the child's soft cheek. "Shhh Goten, it's ok. I saw him too." Gohan whispered to his brother, lying down beside him and he began to stroke his hair.

Goten's cries seemed to slowly be calming down as he listened to the voice of his elder brother.

"We were playing together, weren't we? You and me and Dad. We were at the lookout with all of our friends. Dende, Krillin and your best friend Trunks!" Gohan continued to speak softly to the child, who was no longer crying. He gazed at his brother with a sad and affectionate look, "And now you're sad because it was just a dream, right? Shhh, don't worry. I know." Gohan cooed, as Goten's eyes began to droop once more. "It wasn't just a dream Goten. Dad's thinking about you too. You'll see him again if you go to sleep." Goten snuggled up to his elder brother and was soon snoozing away in a deep sleep once more.

Chichi gazed at her sons, her eyes brimming with tears at what she'd just heard. Gohan had fallen asleep very quickly alongside his brother, but the troubled look he had worn over the last few days hadn't escaped his gentle face even as he slept. Chichi had tried to find out what was on his mind, but the only reply she seemed to receive was 'school' or 'work'. And after this episode, she had a feeling it was definitely more than that.

Sighing weakly, Chichi got up from her bed and pulled the blankets over her sons. Deciding she needed a bit of fresh air to calm herself before bed, she opened the window of her room and leant against the sill, staring up at the moon. "Oh Goku." she sighed longingly as she thought of the young wild boy whose heart she had claimed as her own. "You have no idea how much your son's need you." She paused as she felt her lower lip tremble, "Or how much I need you." tears began spilling down her cheeks. "I'm so lonely without you Goku. I miss you so much." She whispered to the moon.

Chichi suddenly felt warmth and comfort around her; a feeling that was familiar and one that she constantly longed for. She turned around very suddenly, eyes bright with hope only to find there was no one there. However, that warmth still remained and felt close. Chichi closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and she could smell that familiar scent of her late husband, as though he were stood right beside her. Chichi looked back up to the moon with a smile on her face. "Oh Goku, I love you too." She sighed again, no longer feeling so sad. Chichi closed the window and retired for the night. As she lay next to her sons and, that night, she felt her family was whole once more.

There was a quiet snickering from the woods near the Son residence, as the creature had just witnessed a pale woman approach the window. The woman had gazed at the moon and then left. She smirked as she thought of her close escape and continued to observe the house.

"Soon." She whispered to herself, sensing a distinct ki from the residence that may hold the answer.

Gohan was so embarrassed for breaking down in front of his friends. He couldn't face them after that! He'd used this Saiyan speed to avoid them for the rest next week; rushing to class minutes before it was due to begin, rushing off again as soon as they were dismissed. He could hear them, as he sat above the clouds during their lunch period, wondering where he often disappeared to. Of course, they guessed within a minute that he had flown off somewhere.

Why was it suddenly affecting him so much? He had been in complete control for years, or so he thought. It was suddenly all becoming too much. He didn't understand, but it all felt wrong.

Truly, he knew why he was so overwhelmed, but he didn't want to admit it to himself. It felt emasculating to admit that he, a Saiyan, was scared. Scared to face a threat that was, potentially, more powerful than himself. All because he knew that his father was no longer by his side. He needed that strong carefree warrior to guide him... Encourage him... Protect him.

No.

He needed to start relying on himself. He knew it was important to start his training soon, but he needed to be there for his mother, while Goten was so difficult to control at the excitable age of 3. Gohan had to be the man of the house and protect his family. What if they were attacked while he was training at the lookout?

Gohan furrowed his brow as troubling thoughts continued to pester him, successfully distracting him from his homework. It was a bright Saturday afternoon and Gohan rested his head on his hand, staring out of his window as he thought about what, no doubt, was inevitable.

The weekend was most definitely a welcome break, but it also made Gohan feel very uneasy. After the recent attacks on the city with those strange monsters, they had suddenly stopped. He hadn't sensed any strange ki for a while. If anything, that made him more nervous. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed a monster to attack. Not for the fight, but he needed to see if what he was planning was at all possible.

If it wasn't, he was putting the lives of his family and friends at risk.

"Gohan!" his mother called, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I'm doing my homework this time! I swear!" he replied out of reflex as his mother appeared in the doorway, she frowned at him.

"Don't swear, you know better than that." She scolded.

He sighed, "Yes mom." He looked up, suddenly realising that there was another ki present. How had he not noticed it approaching?

"You've got a visitor Gohan." His mother grinned, looking as happy as a child upon meeting Gohan's friends. "Don't take too long. You have a lot of work to do young man."

"Yes mom." He replied, redirecting his gaze to the floor. He suddenly felt very embarrassed to be alone with Darien. No doubt the girls had told him about his little episode. He snatched a chance glance and saw Darien looking at him with a thoughtful gaze.

"Hey Gohan." He said finally, "How're you doing?" He walked in from the doorway and looked around Gohan's room. He noticed a framed photograph on Gohan's chest of drawers. A man with spiky blonde hair and teal colour eyes was looking at a boy with spiky and rough cut blonde hair and teal eyes. Both had a mouthful of spaghetti hanging from their faces and they seemed surprised at the occurrence.

Darien's eyes widened suddenly and he frowned, picking up the photograph he looked at Gohan with a small smile. "Gohan, who're the people in this photograph?" He showed Gohan, but the young Saiyan just frowned at his friend.

"What're you doing here?" Gohan asked him, not meaning to sound as aggressive as it came out and immediately regretting his choice words.

Darien looked at him in surprise for a moment then smiled gently, placing the photograph back in its place. "I'm sure you know why I'm here. You're a pretty smart kid."

"I don't know what you're expecting me to say." Gohan sighed, turning back to face his window, picking up his pencil and pretending to continue his homework again.

He felt Darien's movement in the air as he walked over to Gohan's bed and took a seat. "Well, how about you tell me why you're avoiding them? They're just worried about you Gohan. We all are."

Gohan furrowed his brow at Darien's words. He didn't like feeling so guilty and hurting his friends, but he didn't feel that he had the courage to face them. It was a strange experience for him.

"You know," Darien said gently when Gohan didn't speak, "When I first met Serena, we hated each other. We would argue all the time and try and annoy one another in every single way we could think of."

Gohan glanced at Darien, raising an eyebrow as he silently questioned the relevance of his story. Darien didn't meet Gohan's gaze, but instead stared fondly into the distance with a gentle smile on his face.

"But," He carried on, "as we learnt more about each other and we started to understand one another, we found that we could actually get along. And that built into something more than friendship." He looked up at Gohan, who had been staring blankly at Darien during the entire story. "Do you see what I'm saying?"

Gohan shook his head, "Not really. Unless you're trying to point out what a weird couple you and Serena are. I already knew that."

Gohan laughed a bit as Darien blushed and smiled awkwardly. "Not quite my point." His blush faded and faced Gohan with a serious and concerned look, "What I'm trying to say is that unless you let them in, your friendship won't grow. They care about you and want to make sure you're alright, but you're turning them away. Soon enough, they'll stop trying."

Gohan frowned at Darien again as he considered this. Perhaps that was for the best?

"Why are you trying to push them away Gohan?" Darien asked after a few moments. The young Saiyan opened his mouth to answer but closed it suddenly and stared at his door. Questioningly, Darien looked to the door as well. After a few moments of silence, they heard footsteps approaching and Chichi walked into the room with a tray in her hands.

Darien made a move to get up, but Gohan was by his mothers' side within moments. He took the tray from her grasp and carefully placed it on his desk.

"How many times have I told you to at least open the door for me, instead of just watching me come in?" sighed Chichi and Gohan sent a small apologetic smile her way. Darien turned back to Gohan as soon as he heard Mrs. Son's footsteps fade away.

"How did you know that she was coming in?" asked Darien in surprise at the skill the young boy before him possessed. Gohan swung absentmindedly left and right in his spinning desk chair and shrugged.

"Habit." He responded simply.

Darien was taken aback very suddenly when Gohan jolted to his feet, sending his chair flying backwards. He was clenching his fists and looking out the window, an fierce expression on his face.

"What's happened?" Darien asked suddenly, but felt his dormant powers as Tuxedo Mask beginning to take effect. He gasped and held his head. _'No! Not here!'_ he fought with his powers, losing control of his physical response to the pain.

Gohan glanced at his friend before opening his window and floating into the air, "Stay here." He warned. He could feel his friends' ki beginning to rise and knew that he must have been responding to the surge of ki that Gohan had suddenly felt as well.

He was about to fly off but someone grabbed his arm very suddenly.

"You're not going without me Gohan." Darien said very seriously. The determination and worry in his eyes made it hard to argue.

"You're not strong enough." Gohan warned, knowing this wouldn't affect his friend's decision.

"I can't let Sailor Moon and the Scouts face it alone." He gasped, still holding his head and he mentally fought with his Tuxedo Mask transformation.

Gohan frowned at him angrily.

"I know you know Darien." He hissed with a fierce gaze and Darien looked at the fighter before him for a moment before sighing and nodding.

"It was the picture." he muttered as he gave in to his powers and transformed.

Gohan nodded. "I'll explain it all later. We have to get to the fight."

Tuxedo Mask nodded and allowed Gohan to grasp the tall man from under his shoulders. He charged up his ki and flew at full speed towards the source of the energy.

It was the same energy that he had felt all that time ago. He could feel the ki of the Scouts approaching it. He needed to get there before them. They weren't strong enough. He charged up to his super Saiyan state and flew even faster towards the source.

Darien was gripping onto Gohan's gi for dear life, but could only think of Sailor Moon and what state he might find her in.

Gohan saw a dark cloud ahead of him and flew down to the outskirts of it, charging up to his Ascended Saiyan state. He landed a few feet from it, allowing Tuxedo Mask to regain his footing before he approached with caution. He could feel an intense ki from that electric cloud. As he examined it, "The energy is-" he gasped and was suddenly absorbed into it.

"GOHAN!" Gohan heard the faint shout of Tuxedo Mask.

Tuxedo Mask tried desperately to attack the dome and get through; he needed to help his friend and save the Scouts. But the more he attacked, the weaker he felt. It was as though the dome was absorbing his energy. Suddenly, a deep laughter could be heard from the dome. Tuxedo Mask stepped back a few paces, taking a tighter grip onto his magical cane. From the electricity appeared a great and powerful creature. A youma of evil was the only explanation.

Inside, he was trapped. He tried to leave and was unable to. He growled and closed his eyes, trying to locate the source of its power. He had to remember that he needed to remain calm during the fight and not panic. If he made rash decisions, he would probably wind up dead. Thinking back to his previous battles, he felt the anger within himself rising. All the times he had been too afraid to fight when he was needed, the times he saw his friends laying down their lives to protect him. Now it was his turn. He was the strongest fighter here and he could sense the Sailor Scouts faint ki's, they needed his help.

He felt his ki beginning to rise as his anger did and he tried to remain in control. He was surrounded by that powerful ki. He couldn't locate a single source for it. And he couldn't sense anything outside the dark cloud of energy.

A high pitched and girlish giggle echoed around the bubble. Gohan kept his eyes closed, trying to remain in control. His father wasn't going to be able to bail him out if he was in trouble now. He had to be smart and trust his instincts.

"Well my little Saiyan, it's nice to see you!" giggled that same voice. Gohan smirked at opened his eyes. The voice may have been echoing around the cloud, but he looked directly at its' source with ease.

She seemed slightly startled that he had found her so quickly.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same. Who are you?" he growled. His fists clenched and he stood facing his opponent, proud and fearless.

The girl was one like he had never seen before, but had heard stories about. A pure white tail that swished elegantly behind her body, which looked as though it could have been human. Her fur stretched across her torso, as though forming a shimmering white dress. Her eyes were a brilliant colour of hazel that stared intently into Gohan's teal centres. She had a mane of white hair, out of which stuck a couple of perky white ears. They twitched left and right.

She was a Nikojin.

Purring, she observed the young Saiyan with a childishly gleeful smile.

"I needed to meet you." She spoke gently, without any threat in her tone. Gohan's eyes narrowed as he observed her. He wasn't sure what to make of this creature. He kept his guard up, but made no movement against her.

"Why?" he spoke with defiance.

"I need your help. And I knew this dome of energy would get your attention."

She hissed and slunk back as a sudden beam of light appeared and a group of girls appeared before her, their hands linked as they formed a circle together.

"It worked!" cried Sailor Venus, the soldier of love.

"You were meant to stay out of the way!" hissed the Nikojin. "It's not you I need!"

"Alright nega-trash, you've done enough! We are the Sailor Scouts and you are threatening the peace of our world!" Sailor Moon began to announce, facing the Nikojin with a determined look in her eyes. "And that is something that I just cannot allow! I am Sailor Moon, and we are the Sailor Scouts! In the name of the moon, we shall punish you!"

Gohan stared at the Sailor Scouts in disbelief and felt himself sigh; half in exasperation and half in relief.

"Hey look! It's that guy from before!" said Sailor Jupiter, noticing Gohan's presence.

"Hi!" he waved and laughed slightly nervously. "I'm glad you're ok."

Her eyes narrowed at him and she turned back to the Nikojin.

"You better get out of here kid. It's dangerous."

Gohan rolled his eyes; their ki was nowhere near that of just the dome. He wasn't even sure if this Nikojin was using her full power.

The white Nikojin crouched and hissed at the Sailor Scouts. They were interfering with her plans, and she couldn't risk drawing any further attention to herself. She closed her eyes and the dome of energy that had sealed them within suddenly disappeared.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon suddenly cried as she saw her beloved in a fierce battle against a creature that she could not find words to define. The more the Earth's Prince attacked, the more it seemed to grow.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Gohan shouted at his friend. Tuxedo Mask took one glance at the young Saiyan before diving out of the way. The youma barely had time to comprehend the switch in his opponents before Gohan appeared in front of it and punched it forcefully in the space where his stomach should have been.

The creature chuckled as Gohan felt nothing but the electric energy where it's body should have been. It stopped laughing suddenly when the young Saiyan seemed completely unaffected by the electric current flowing through the body of the youma. Gohan smirked at the creature and charged up a ki blast in the hand that was embedded in the creatures body.

The youma looked down and the gaping holes where his eyes should have been widened and a deathly scream erupted from it as it was blasted into nothing. Gohan relaxed his stance once again and turned back to the Nikojin, who had now been surrounded by the Sailor Scouts.

"Wait!" Gohan shouted to them and they all turned to him. The Nikojin sent a beautifully seductive smile in his direction.

"Perhaps another time Saiyan." She spoke quietly. "Lets' not make it too long." And with that, she pounced into the air and appeared to have disappeared into nothing.

Gohan lost the sense of her ki.

"Why did you do that? We had her!" shouted Sailor Mars, glaring angrily at Gohan.

"What was that all about?" Sailor Moon asked, looking confusedly at him. He angrily looked back at the Scouts.

"Why did you interfere? She needed to speak to me and you got in the way!"

The Scouts stepped in front of Sailor Moon and took up a protective stance.

"Look, we don't know who you are," began Sailor Venus, "But that creature was threatening our world. It is our duty as Sailor Scouts to protect them and fight!"

"Fight? Don't make me laugh. The strength of you humans is pathetic!" laughed a voice from their left. Gohan looked over in surprise to see Vegeta.

"How dare you!" Cried Sailor Jupiter, furious at this person. "We are the Sailor Scouts, champions of love and justice and we use our powers to protect the people of this earth! You have no right to speak like that to us, unless you want to be moon dusted!"

Vegeta laughed and Gohan sighed weakly. Vegeta and his pride... Need I say more?

"Protectors of the earth? Please. You girls may be more powerful than the average human, but you're still nothing but weak and pathetic humans."

"Why I-" The ki of Sailor Jupiter began to rise as she readied herself to attack. Vegeta took a fighting stance, smirking at his opponent.

"Jupiter don't! He might not be very polite, but it is our duty as protectors of this earth to use our powers for good! You can't attack him!" Sailor Moon shouted, taking a protective stance in front of Vegeta.

Sailor Jupiter growled, "Why do we have to protect jerks like him!" She said it as more of a statement than a true question and Vegeta simply laughed.

"Go on." He urged, taking the other scouts by surprise. "Give it your best shot. I bet it'll surprise you." He continued to smirk.

Gohan decided it was time to step in and stop this ridiculousness.

"Vegeta, don't bother. We need to head to the lookout." He tried to call and Vegeta shot him a dirty look.

"Silence brat. I'm surprised that you haven't come to the lookout sooner. Thought you'd keep all the pleasure of the battle for yourself?" Vegeta smirked and turned back to the Scouts. "Give it your best shot!"

Jupiter growled and charged up her Jupiter Sparkling Wide Pressure attack.

"No, Vegeta!" called Gohan, whilst the Scouts called to Jupiter to stop. It was too late, she sent it flying and Vegeta caught the attack with as much ease as Gohan had done the day before.

Gohan sighed, and Vegeta laughed at the shock on the Scouts faces.

"Is this it? That's pathetic!" he smirked and squashed the attack in his fist, just as Gohan had done days before.

"I- I don't understand!" Jupiter stuttered out, staring and lost for words.

"I told you not to do that!" Gohan called, annoyed at his fellow Saiyan.

"**Vegeta, that wasn't very nice. You should've just left them alone.**"

They all looked to the skies as they heard a familiar voice speaking to them.

"Kakarot! What do you want?" shouted Vegeta, looking to the sky and Gohan felt his eyes brimming with tears of joy. He couldn't help but smile brightly at the sound of his fathers' voice.

"Dad! Is that really you?" he called with happiness so evident in his eyes and voice.

The Sailor Scouts looked around in complete confusion, at a loss for what events were occurring now.

They heard Goku's happy voice laugh before he spoke again, "**Yes son, it's me.**"

Gohan's smile grew brighter and his fists clenched in joy. "It's so good to hear your voice!" He called. "I miss you dad." His voice broke slightly with emotion.

Even though he couldn't see him, Gohan could feel his father's warm smile radiating down on him.

"**I miss you too son, and your mother. But hey! You look like you're doing alright without me!**" Goku responded in his usual cheerful and light hearted way, making his son smile.

"We need you dad!" Gohan called sadly, feeling his tears escaping him once more.

"**Gohan, I don't have much time so I just need you to listen. You need to go to the lookout and begin your training with Piccolo and Vegeta again. The energy I've been sensing from earth is very dangerous. King Kai said that the Nikojin you were speaking to is very powerful. We don't know what her intentions are on earth; apparently she's known to be the ruler of a very peaceful race. But we need you to be prepared. They're peaceful, but powerful. And it looks like something's definitely up. I don't know much about it yet, but you need to focus on your training.**"

Goku's voice was very serious and Gohan sighed, nodding at his father's warning. Despite his best efforts to avoid it, he knew he had to start training again.

His mother would not be pleased.

"Well, it's about time brat. I need a decent sparring partner. The Namekian isn't even a challenge." Vegeta smirked and Gohan powered down to his normal state, knowing that by mentioning his name, his father had given away his identity to his friends.

"GOHAN?!" they all screamed in shock and he smiled at them weakly.

"Hi guys." He greeted with a weak smile.

"Wait, you know who we are?" gasped Sailor Moon, more commonly known as Serena. Gohan simply nodded to her before looking back into the sky.

"Dad, I don't know if I can fight them. She didn't seem like she wanted to fight. She wanted my help. And I handled those other creatures fine!" He looked concerned and waited for his dad to reply. It felt almost as though his father's spirit was right beside him, as Goku's gentle voice responded.

"**Well Gohan, if she needs our help, then she'll find you again. But don't let your guard down. We can't risk being under-prepared. The other thing might have just been a lucky shot. I know this isn't very fair to ask of you, son, and it isn't very fair on your mother either. But you need to do this, to protect the earth and everyone we love. It might be a good idea to ask Bulma to gather the Dragon Balls too.**" He added as an afterthought.

Gohan nodded at his father's spirit, the tears brimming in his eyes.

"**I'm proud of you son. I believe in you.**" Goku's parting words left Gohan feeling much more determined than he had done before. He rose into the air, Vegeta following his lead with his angry and disgruntled look as always.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT!" screamed someone very high pitched and Gohan looked down to the ground, before he could set off for the lookout at full speed. He had momentarily forgotten about the Sailor Scouts. He floated back to the ground gently.

"What was THAT all about?" gasped Serena.

"Where did that voice come from?" asked Sailor Jupiter.

"What does he mean by the lookout?" questioned Sailor Mars.

Gohan looked at them and noticed Sailor Mercury looking at him with very thoughtful eyes.

"You're the one who defeated Cell, aren't you Gohan?" she said quietly, making all the Scouts gasp and look at him. He smiled weakly and nodded. He felt Vegeta's ki leave already, clearly heading off to the lookout without him.

"I don't know if I should explain this all to you, it's not safe." He said, cautiously observing them. "You're all very strong. But, not as strong as you need to be to fight." He admitted.

The Scouts looked very offended again, and began to protest. He sighed and began to rise into the air once more. "I'm sorry Scouts. This is too dangerous for you."

Serena and Amy watched Gohan with a thoughtful gaze in their eyes.

He glanced at them one last time before smiling and shooting off.

"Gohan." Amy spoke quietly.


	9. Chapter 9

Goku released a tired sigh as he removed his hand from its place on King Kai's back, smiling slightly.

"Are you sure that was the right thing to do?" asked the old master, turning to face his most powerful warrior.

Goku nodded and smiled at his master. A proud gleam shone in his eyes; he looked up to the skies as though he could see the Earth, and on that, he looked as though he could see he son.

"But do you really think Gohan is strong enough Goku? That was a tremendous power dome. It sealed him in, and maintained a guardian youma to fight." said the old King and he was surprised at the sudden serious expression his usually happy and careless student wore.

"Gohan needed that push. He wouldn't have started training if I didn't tell him to." He said with extreme seriousness. "He's a strong fighter, but he's worried about leaving Chichi and Goten alone. At least when I went fighting, I knew that the Ox King and Gohan were with her. If they're attacked when Gohan should be with them..." Goku paused, looking down with a concerned and understanding expression. He knew his son too well. "There's no way Gohan would let them get hurt so long as he can fight." Goku confirmed, looking at King Kai once more. "But he wouldn't leave them to go train either."

King Kai surveyed his pupil thoughtfully. Goku walked towards the house on the little planet that belonged to the great King.

"Man I'm starving!" Goku suddenly expressed, very light heartedly. He stretched his arms above his head while yawning widely. "I think I'm going to have something to eat then take a nap." He announced.

The King was so shocked that he fell backwards. "GOKU!" He shouted and the dead Saiyan turned around, with a surprised looked.

"Huh? What did I do?" he asked, thinking he was in trouble.

The King sighed and got to his feet once more. "I'm not finished Goku." He grumbled and Goku laughed, scratching the back of his head with his signature Son grin.

"Oops. Sorry King Kai!" he laughed and the King glared at him with faux annoyance before he continued.

"Don't you think you should have gotten in touch with Gohan sooner if you wanted him to be ready for this Nikojin?" scolded the King and Goku frowned, sitting cross-legged onto the soft grass beneath him.

"Well, I did try." Goku said thoughtfully, "But I don't belong on Earth any more. My contact with them shouldn't be direct unless absolutely necessary." He folded his arms across his chest, frowning as he thought about this.

King Kai watched Goku with utter amazement. '_Remarkable.'_ Thought the King as he observed Goku processing his thoughts; '_He goes from thinking about a fight, to food to the fight again. And now he's actually thinking about what's best for the earth? He truly is one of a kind.'_ The King thought fondly.

"What do you mean you tried?" The King prompted and Goku looked up at him with a surprised expression.

"Well I thought you knew?" he questioned. Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "I've been trying to speak to Gohan in his dreams the last few Earth nights. But I don't want him to know that I'm trying to get in touch with him from this world, since I'm not meant to be involved with Earth at all. I wanted him to think of them as meaningful dreams. So for a while, I was recreating the times when we were training to fight Cell." Goku lay back onto the grass and stared at the sky, folding his hands behind his head and frowning thoughtfully as he revealed his secret plan, "I thought that might get him to remember how hard he needed to work to get so strong. But I think it just confused him because I'm not there to train him anymore. So then I tried creating some new dreams that would show him what we would lose if we didn't fight. But then I just upset Goten." Goku admitted guiltily. "I wasn't ever planning on speaking to him so directly. But when that Nikojin appeared, I felt like I had no other choice."

King Kai nodded approvingly. Goku had really thought through his actions for once and was accepting his place in Other World, whilst still trying to guide his son into protecting the Earth.

The Saiyan sat up very suddenly with a bright expression, making the old King jump slightly at the sudden movement. "What about the Sailor Scouts though? They seemed pretty powerful! I know their ki wasn't that high, but they must have needed a lot of power to teleport into that dome of energy!" he said excitedly whilst his master recomposed himself.

"Yes, the Sailor Scouts are a very powerful team." Nodded the King, and Goku stared at him thoughtfully. "They're an ancient team of eternal fighters. The most powerful and capable person of their planet is selected to inherit their planet powers. If they can harness the full power emitted from their respective planet and combine them, as they have done so many times in the past, then they have the potential to become even stronger than a Saiyan ever could." Revealed King Kai and Goku's eyes shone with excitement.

"Wow! There's actually someone out there that strong? I can't believe I'll never get to fight them!" he expressed with disappointment, falling back to the ground and King Kai chuckled.

"They're not strong enough to take you on alone Goku." Reassured the King, "But as a team, they could probably kick your butt."

Goku laughed with the King and agreed. After a few moments, the Saiyan let out a breath and got to his feet. "I'm hungry." He stated and left the King for the house, or more accurately, the kitchen.

"AHHH!" Vegeta's battle cry could be heard, followed by Gohan's shouts of pain. He was hit repeatedly with powerful ki blasts. It became too much for the young fighter and he began to lose altitude.

Vegeta looked as if he barely had a scratch on him, a couple of bruises here and there. Gohan, on the other hand, was covered head to toe in cuts, bruises and broken bones. The young Saiyan collapsed onto the scared stone of the lookout and phased out of his Ascended Saiyan state. Panting desperately and wincing with every small movement.

Dende ran to his friend's side and began to use his abilities to heal him as quickly as he could. Gohan lay on the ground as he felt the comforting warmth of Dende's powers tending to his wounds.

The proud Saiyan Prince floated back down to lookout and folded his arms, looking furious.

"That was pathetic!" the Prince spat, "You call yourself a Saiyan." He growled and stormed off into the grand chambers of the lookout, most probably to find something to eat. Gohan felt guilt wash over him. He hadn't realised what the lack of training had been doing to his abilities.

"Thanks Dende." Gohan muttered quietly as his friend finished the healing process. He sat up weakly and sighed, frowning sadly.

"What's the matter Gohan?" Dende asked, a weak smile on his face. He enjoyed having Gohan at the lookout again, even if it was just to prepare for a new enemy.

"It's been three days and I'm not getting any better." Gohan grumbled and he felt a firm hand grip his shoulder. He looked up and saw the green alien he had known for most of his life, Piccolo. His former master sat on Gohan's other side frowned at him.

"There's no denying it Gohan, you're forgetting how to fight. But you just need to keep training and it'll come back to you. Vegeta's been training every day since the battle with Cell. He's obviously going to be a lot stronger than you now, even if he hasn't achieved the Ascended Saiyan state."

Gohan could tell this was more Kami than Piccolo speaking to him, but he listened to these wise words carefully, knowing that they were true.

"But you're still very powerful Gohan, and you've got the potential to be even stronger; don't forget that. You're able to advance a lot faster in a shorter space of time than either Goku or Vegeta. In the one year you spend in the hyperbolic time chamber, you managed to go from being a regular Saiyan to an Ascended Saiyan."

Gohan looked at Piccolo with a surprised gaze, and he saw the proud expression on the Namekian warrior. Gohan felt a smile tug at his lips.

"You just need to put your heart into it like you used to." Piccolo finished and Gohan nodded, struggling to find any words that formed a suitable response to the comforting words that had come from his oldest friend.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by some very mocking laughter from behind them. "Really? You think you can become as powerful as you were so suddenly? You don't have the heart of a Saiyan to put in the work needed to do that!" spat Vegeta as he returned from whatever meal he may have devoured from the kitchens. "You should just leave these creatures to me. I'm much more powerful than even Cell. I can handle them easily." smirked the Saiyan Prince.

Gohan sighed, got to his feet and threw a dirty glance towards Vegeta before taking off. He needed a flight to clear his mind. He felt as though he was under so much pressure to become stronger, smarter and defeat this enemy that potentially wasn't even an enemy? He had to meet everyone's expectations.

It was all on him.

Gohan stopped in mid-air and screamed in anger. His screaming rage seemed to overpower his fighters' body for a few moments and he charged up to his Ascended Saiyan state, a small earthquake erupting from around him.

After a short period of time, Gohan felt as though he had exhausted all his rage. He relaxed and returned to his resting state, floating calmly back to the ground. He took deep breaths, trying to relax his muscles.

"Well, you do make yourself easy to find don't you? Exposing your power so freely isn't advisable, young Saiyan." said a voice that Gohan had never heard before.

He took a fighting stance instantly, glancing left and right trying to source the voice. It didn't sound threatening, but he couldn't sense the ki that was emitting the voice. He thought he was alone.

"Don't worry." Came the gentle voice again and, from the shadows to the left, stepped forward another Sailor Soldier. "I mean you no harm. I have come to bid you a warning, or the future is in grave peril."

Gohan relaxed his guard and continued to frown at the woman before him. She was tall with dark green hair and eyes, with dark skin. He knew from her uniform immediately that she was a Sailor Solider, but she seemed unlike the others. She had a weapon. A silver rod with a red orb sealed into it. But what Gohan noticed was how advanced she also was. While they all seemed so out of touch with their powers, only able to call specific attacks from their planets, she seemed completely in control and in touch with her abilities, which explained why she was able to suppress her ki from Gohan's sensitive Saiyan senses.

"Who are you?" he asked, an air of curiosity and suspicion was in his tone and the Solider smiled at him.

"I am Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of the Space-Time door." She bowed to him and Gohan awkwardly returned the gesture. "I am already aware of who you are, Son Gohan."

Somehow, the young Saiyan wasn't surprised.

"And I have left my post to pay you an important message from Neo Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo." Continued Sailor Pluto and Gohan stared at her.

Neo... Who?

"You will need to find the Sailor Scouts and call them all to a meeting for you to receive this message. King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity will personally be appearing to all of you through the Sacred Fires of Mars at dusk." She bowed to him again and turned away.

Whaaaaat?

Gohan stared at her for a few moments and jumped back suddenly when he felt her ki rise significantly. She used the rod that was in her hands to create a door to the gates of space and time.

"Wait!" Gohan called, suddenly realising that he didn't know what on earth she had been talking about with that message. But the Sailor Scout was gone already.

"I knew I'd sensed Trista's presence." Gohan heard another voice say from behind him. He turned very suddenly, shocked in his own carelessness for not noticing these other two Sailor Scouts appearing.

"Yes, it's a shame she couldn't stay longer though." The other Scout replied to her friend.

They were both Scouts that Gohan had no memory of seeing before. One was very beautiful, with wavy teal hair and eyes. The other hard dirty blonde short hair and dark eyes. Gohan's eyes widened as he suddenly realised, these Scouts must be stronger than the other Sailor Scouts as well. Their ki was completely undetectable.

He had to admit, he was impressed. They spoke of sensing their fellow Scout when her ki was completely hidden. These Sailor Scouts must have some form of a deeper connection than Gohan was initially giving them credit for.

"So, you know what her message means?" Gohan asked them tentatively. He wasn't sure if they had even heard her message.

The Sailor Soldier with teal hair looked at Gohan and smiled with a gentle gaze. She closed her eyes and reverted into her resting human state before she spoke, "My name is Michelle and I am the Sailor Neptune. This is Amara; she is Sailor Uranus." Michelle introduced her partner, taking the hand of the now resting form of Sailor Uranus as well. "The other Scouts have told us you know their identities and that you have an incredible power." She smiled at him gently but Amara looked angry.

"Careless." She growled and Gohan looked at her with confusion. Her eyes narrowed in irritation at his expression, "You don't even realise what that earthquake you made caused do you!"

Gohan's eyes widened and he suddenly looked around, realising that there was quite a significant number of cracks travelling outwards from the crater where his anger had been unleashed. He blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously.

"Sorry. I guess I didn't realise my own strength." He apologised pitifully. The Sailor Soldier of Uranus rolled her eyes at his naivety and continued to stare at him with an intense gaze. He felt as though he were talking to a female version of Vegeta, she was so fierce.

Michelle smiled at her partner before continuing. "Well Gohan, we'll get in touch with the other Scouts and we can take you to the temple that belongs to Sailor Mars. That's where we'll be able to see the sacred fire." She turned to Amara and smiled sweetly. The eyes of that fierce warrior seemed to soften momentarily and she nodded. They both turned and Gohan had no choice but to follow.

* * *

A/N: I'm really sorry it's been so long since I updated the story! Had a massive load of coursework to do (and still got loads more to do.. one of my lecturers decided to tell us yesterday he's going to ask us to design a web browser to hand in in 2 weeks.. He only just started lectures with us on Monday! ARGHH!). So I decided to publish two chapters tonight to make up for it. Hope you like it and I'll try to update again soon!


	10. Chapter 10

Not being entirely sure what had happened, Gohan now found himself sat awkwardly between Amara and Michelle in Rei's temple; awaiting the arrival of the other Sailor Scouts. Again, Amara reminded him strongly of Vegeta whilst she sat there patiently, arms folded and eyes closed with a frowning expression. Michelle calmly sipped at the tea she had been provided by Rei, who seemed to be in some form of a trance whilst chanting hushed words into the fire. Occasionally, the fire would blaze and then fade back into a tender and calm flame as she continued to chant.

Gohan sensed the presence of the other Scouts ki's approaching, along with that of Darien. Rei suddenly snapped her head up and looked to her door. Amara opened her eyes and everyone was greeted brightly by Serena, Mina, Amy and Lita. Darien followed last and they all sat around the fire.

"GOHAN!" Serena suddenly proclaimed upon seeing her friend sat opposite her, and launching herself into his arms in an almost suffocating embrace. "It's so good to see you! We've been trying to find you since the fight but you just disappeared!"

Gohan was very taken aback by her affection and just awkwardly sat there, stiff and wide eyed, not knowing what to do. He laughed nervously and apologised, while Darien tried to peal Serena off the frightened Saiyan.

"Yeah it's good to see you! We really needed to talk to you Gohan, we were worried." Continued Lita after her emotional leader had calmed down, "We even went to Mount Paozu with Darien, but your mother said you hadn't been home for a few days. She said you were training with some guy called Vegeta?" she frowned at him, as though the name left a bitter taste on her tongue.

Gohan laughed awkwardly again and apologised, "Yeah, sorry. I was up at the lookout training with Vegeta. He's the Prince of Saiyans." Gohan explained and they all looked at him curiously.

Mina looked very confused and tapped her chin as she tried to remember, "What's a Saiyan?" she said after a few moments. Amara suddenly sighed with an air of impatience and Gohan glanced at her nervously. She opened her eyes and shot a dirty look in his direction before she spoke.

"They're a race of fighters from planet Vegeta. Their only aim in life is to become stronger by fighting everyone and everything they meet." Amara spoke very bitterly into the silence of the room, which was broken only by the flickering of the sacred flames. "They're destructive and dangerous." She finished and glared threateningly at Gohan once more.

Gohan had a curious expression on his face, whilst the inner Sailor Scouts seemed to be pondering the new information about their friends' heritage. "Well," Gohan suddenly spoke, "that is only half true."

Amara turned her head to him very suddenly, as though daring him to continue.

"That was true about planet Vegeta." Gohan said very quickly, trying not to anger the powerful Sailor Scout. "But," he tried to counter, "That's not true about all Saiyans. My dad was sent here as a kid and he defended the Earth his entire life."

"Don't worry Gohan." smiled Michelle as Amara closed her eyes in annoyance, almost as though she were praying for patience. "Amara just doesn't feel comfortable around men. We know you're not dangerous." She smiled at him sweetly and ignored the irritated look she received from her partner.

"I'm fine around guys." Amara muttered, almost childishly trying to defend her actions. The group of friends laughed at her statement and the mood in the room seemed to suddenly lighten.

"So is that what you become when you go all golden?" Serena asked Gohan, who frowned in thought.

"Not really. That's when-" but he was suddenly cut off by a roar within the sacred flames. They grew to a tremendous size and Sailor Mars gasped, closing her eyes and trying to control the fierce magic that was engulfing the fire. She seemed to glow red as the flames calmed.

"It's dusk." Darien said quietly, looking outside and then back to the flames. Slowly, the image of what looked like Serena and Darien seemed to materialise into the flames. Or at least, that's what Gohan thought initially, until he realised that they looked older and were dressed differently.

The Serena in the fire wore a white gown with a golden boarder along the bodice; pure white wings of similar material erupted from her back, and a golden tiara lay across her blonde hair. There was an air of elegance and grace in her appearance. She stood beside the flame Darien, who was dressed very similarly to Darien's Tuxedo Mask alter ego. However, he stood without a top hat and his suit was now blue, rather than black. He, too, seemed to emit an air of power, maturity and grace that Gohan felt unworthy of being present to.

He glanced around and suddenly realised that the girls around him had transformed into their Sailor Scout state, Darien respectively was in his Tuxedo Mask form. It was as though the beings in the fire had even dared them to ignore the power and presence they held. All the Scouts had their heads bowed with their right hand placed over their hearts.

"OW!" Gohan suddenly cried as Sailor Uranus smacked him over the back of his head.

"Show some respect!" she hissed and Gohan awkwardly bowed his head. He glanced up and saw the image of Serena and Darien smile slightly at the action.

"Sailor Scouts, it's good to see you again." Darien spoke from the fire. The Scouts all looked up to the flames with very serious expressions.

"Son Gohan, if memory serves me well, then we have no yet explained who we are." Serena from the fires spoke and Gohan nodded slightly, a small blush on his face. She smiled very sweetly, and he felt suddenly very comforted. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Neo Queen Serenity, the Queen of Crystal Tokyo 1000 years into the future. In your time, you know me as Sailor Moon or Serena Tsukino."

Gohan's head whipped around to stare at Sailor Moon in surprise. "What!" he cried and Serena blushed, laughing awkwardly as she placed her hand on the back of her head.

"Did I forget to mention that?" Serena laughed and Gohan looked back and forth from the future and present Serena. He couldn't believe the transformation she was due to make.

"And I am King Endymion." spoke the Darien in the fire, who Gohan now knew was the King Endymion Sailor Pluto had mentioned earlier. "I am the King of the Earth 1000 years into the future. I assume you will have realised that in your time, I am known as Tuxedo Mask or Darien Shields."

Gohan's wide eyes moved onto Darien, who seemed to be looking into the future version of himself with a very serious expression.

"We have a grave warning to bid to you, my Scouts. I am sad to say that the future is once again in peril, and I must bestow a great responsibility to you in order to protect it." Neo Queen Serenity spoke. "In one year's time, an intense battle will ensue and I must warn you to be prepared. They are a unlike any opponent we have faced until now. Your Super Sailor forms will not be enough, nor will the Ascended Saiyan state." She spoke, looking directly to Gohan as she said this.

His eyes widened at this statement. He was already so much more powerful than the Sailor Scouts in his Super Saiyan state; how much stronger would this enemy be if his Ascended Saiyan state wouldn't be enough?

"In order to defeat the enemy, you will need to harness your eternal planet powers." The Queen directed to her Scouts. "You will need to work together as one being more than you have ever done in the past. Your combined strength into one being should be strong enough with the power of the Imperial Silver Crystal and the power of the Saiyan warriors." She then looked back to Gohan, who seemed to have a confused and disbelieving expression on his face.

"Son Gohan," Spoke the King and Gohan looked to his projected image instead, "the Scouts will need your experience in battle. We are relying on you to help them train and prepare for the battle. Your role in the future is very important, for your decision will change everything." Warned the King and again, Gohan felt as though the weight of the world were on his shoulders. A determined look crossed his face and he nodded at the King.

Neo Queen Serenity seemed to survey Gohan with a concerned expression before smiling at him weakly, "We trust that you will make the right choice, young Saiyan."

"That is all we can say Sailor Scouts." King Endymion announced with a tone of finality in his voice, "If we reveal any more, the timelines of the future will cross dangerously. We are trusting you Scouts, don't be scared. Trust in each other and you will succeed."

The Scouts nodded at their future King and Queen. They bid them good luck and farewell before the flame suddenly vanished. All the Sailor Scouts seemed to revert back to their resting states, and Rei stopped glowing. She gasped and fell to the floor in exhaustion.

"Rei!" the girls cried and Amy, who was nearest, helped her friend back into a sitting position.

"Sorry." Rei muttered, with an apologetic smile, "That drained a lot more power from me than I was expecting."

"It's not surprise. It must have been the combined powers of yourself and future Sailor Mars that established the connection. It's a difficult magic." Reasoned Michelle and the other girls nodded in understanding. Gohan continued to stare at the ashes, where the Queen and King had last appeared.

"Gohan?" Serena suddenly called to him, snapping the young Saiyan out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?" she looked very concerned and he frowned at her, unsure of what to say.

"I suppose we should explain everything to you, shouldn't we?" Darien suggested, sharing the look of concern that Serena wore. "I'm sure you must be a bit confused."

Gohan nodded weakly, deciding this was a better form of truth than what was truly going through his mind. Serena and Darien then began to explain to Gohan the story of the Moon Kingdom, their battle with Queen Beryl, their rebirths onto Earth and their battles with the negaverse since then.

After they finished, Gohan was amazed that he had somehow missed noticing all of these events, but realised that he had had other evil's to face since he was very young.

"So, what did she mean by your eternal planet powers?" Gohan asked once he had taken a moment to digest everything they had suddenly divulged. He saw them all look blank for a moment before turning to Amy, who shrugged.

"The Queen was referring to our most powerful state. As Sailor Scouts, we are eternal-" Amara began to explain.

"What, so you can't die?" Gohan interrupted and shrunk back at the glare he received from her.

"I said eternal, not immortal. If we die, we are then reborn into a new life. Otherwise, we live forever so long as we are connected with our respective planets. Eternal power is the dormant and most powerful energy at the core of each planet. It's unlocked by the scout when she reaches her eternal form." She finished and looked at her Scouts, as though expecting them to say something.

"But how are we going to achieve an eternal form?" Rei voiced the question that was bothering all the Sailor Scouts. "We only achieved our Super Sailor form when Pegasus used the golden crystal to unlock them."

They all frowned and Mina suddenly slammed her hands on the floor and looked at Gohan with a determined gaze, making everyone jump and Gohan leant backwards slightly. He hated it when they did that.

"Gohan!" she cried, "What was the Queen talking about when she said your Ascended Saiyan state?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that!" the other girls seemed to chorus and Gohan laughed nervously.

"Well, I was going to explain it to you before." He glanced around the room and realised all their eyes were on him. He laughed nervously and blushed slightly, "Can we go outside? I don't want to break anything if I show you."

As they stood in the courtyard in front of Rei's temple, Gohan stood in front of the Scouts in a fighting stance. He took a deep breath before he spoke, "Ok. This is my resting form, like when none of you become Sailor Scouts. The only difference is that I can still access my powers. I don't need to rely on transforming to be able to defend myself." He explained and held his hands in front of his face and conjured a ki ball. They gasped and suddenly the inner Scouts surrounded his hands, intrigued by ball of power. Gohan suddenly dissolved the ki ball and the girls stepped back again. He continued his explanation. "The next most powerful state is that of a Super Saiyan." He powered up and immediately his hair turned gold, his eyes turned teal and an aura of energy surrounded him. They seemed to watch him curiously, amazed at his transformation. "In this state, I'm faster, stronger and more powerful than my resting state." He suddenly used his Super Saiyan speed to appear behind Serena and poked her sides. She screamed in surprise and jumped into Darien's arms.

The other Scouts laughed, though Amara did not look very impressed.

Gohan smiled at her in his usual Son way and used his Super Saiyan speed to return to his original place in front of them all.

"And when I was fighting Cell, I managed to tap into an even stronger centre of power within myself." He closed his eyes and a shockwave of energy hit the Scouts as he transformed into his Ascended Saiyan state. His hair was slightly longer and stood more on end than it had done in his Super Saiyan state. His eyes seemed fiercer and alongside the golden aura of energy, lightening surrounded the fighter. "This is my Ascended Saiyan form. It increased my speed, my strength and my power tenfold." He explained. Gohan's voice also seemed to become less like his light and sweet tone, and became very threatening.

"That energy..." Michelle muttered to herself in amazement, her eyes were wide as she looked on at the powerful young Saiyan.

"It's intense." nodded Amara, surveying Gohan with untrusting eyes.

"Wow!" Amy muttered. She had been typing away on her compact computer, scanning Gohan and his power level. "His power's shot up to more than 50 times our strongest attack." Gasped the Sailor Scout from Mercury.

"WHAT!" gasped the other Scouts, crowding around her computer and looking from Gohan to the screen with looks of disbelief.

Gohan couldn't help smirking slightly, "And I'm not even at my full power. This is my weakest state when I'm an Ascended Saiyan."

Their eyes widened and he began to scream as he powered up, creating shockwaves and beginning to form a crater into the temple. Their eyes widened even further and they screamed slightly as his shockwaves of energy began to hit him.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Sailor Uranus, sending a powerful World Shaking attack to him. Gohan dodged it easily. It seemed almost as though he disappeared and reappeared in the same place within a split second. Amara's eyes widened and she stared at him in horror, unable to believe that he dodged her attack. He glared at her and seemed to appear in front of her instantaneously.

He smirked at her surprise and then powered down to his resting state once again. Gohan sighed and closed his eyes before he began to slowly float into the air.

"WAIT!" shouted Serena, her eyes were wide as she recognised the Saiyan's behaviour and she quickly grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving. "Gohan! We need to work together! We need to train!" she pleaded and he looked at her sadly.

"I'm going to go train. Vegeta is the only one strong enough to handle my attacks and make me stronger." He explained. "Saiyan's don't have a limit to their powers. The more we fight and recover, the more our power increases. If we only have a year, I might be able to improve my powers like before."

"Gohan! We need to be a team!" Serena pleaded with him, refusing to let go of her friend. "We're friends and we're fighting to protect the same thing. We should support one another and work together to protect our world."

"Maybe this was the decision that the King was talking about?" Lita suggested, a frown pasted across her face.

Mina nodded, "Yeah Gohan, weren't you listening to them? Your decisions are important! Maybe the future is in trouble because you're trying not to work with us. They told us that together we can defeat the enemy. We're not strong enough alone."

Gohan looked at them all for a moment before sighing and nodding. He floated back to the ground, but continued to look worried. Serena seemed to have attached herself to his arm, in case he tried to fly away again.

"Maybe Prince Vegeta can help?" suggested Amy, smiling weakly at Gohan but he shook his head at her suggestion.

"He normally trains alone." He stated and they looked slightly downhearted before his eyes suddenly widened and he remembered something that was slightly important. "OH! But I do need to get in touch with Bulma! My dad told me to get her to find the dragon balls!"

"You don't mean Bulma Briefs do you?" Amy asked, wide eyed, and Gohan nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, she's an old friend of my dads'. Why? Do you know her?" Gohan asked innocently and seemed shocked at the expressions his friends seemed to wear.

"You didn't tell us you knew THE Bulma Briefs!" gasped Lita and Gohan looked at in confusion, completely nonplussed by their reactions.

"Uh, what's the big deal?" he asked, laughing nervously.

"The big deal is that she's CEO of Capsule Corporation! They're like, the biggest company in Japan!" gasped Mina. "Imagine if I was able to meet her! She'll definitely ask me to be a model for her company and I'll finally be able to fulfil my dream of becoming an idol!" she had stars in her eyes as she looked dreamily into the distance. She suddenly took Gohan's hand into her own and the frightened Saiyan took a step back in surprise, a blush creeping its' way onto his gentle face. "You HAVE to introduce me to her Gohan! Pretty please!" she gasped.

"No way! You have to take me with you!" gasped Rei, pushing Mina out of the way and Gohan's eyes widened even further. How did their conversation turn around so suddenly? "She's my idol! She's beautiful and smart and the biggest name in industry there is! My dream is to be a careers woman just like her! I have to meet her Gohan, please?" Rei gasped, looking at Gohan with starry eyes.

"The technology would be fascinating to see. I wish I could go meet her with you." Amy said, with a bright blush on her face.

Amara sighed exasperatedly, placing her fingers to her temples. "These girls..." a small smile graced her lips, "They have the attention span of the goldfish."

Michelle laughed at her lovers' statement and looked to their young Scouts fondly, "Yes. It's wonderful to be so pure and free."

"Gohan?" Serena seemed to narrow her eyes at him suspiciously as she spoke and he looked down to the girl that seemed glued to his arm.

"Yes?" he asked nervously, regretting mentioning Bulma's name at this point.

"What's a Dragon Ball?"

There was silence from the other girls for a moment as they all looked at Gohan rather expectantly.

"Uh." He scratched his head as she thought about how to explain them to his friends, "Well, they're 7 magical orange balls that were made by the Guardian of the Earth. When you get them together, you call forth the sacred dragon and then he'll grant you two wishes. We normally use them to restore everyone who was killed because of our battles and wipe their memories of the instance." He admitted, which made the Scouts realise why they had no true recollection of the havoc Gohan had told them of in the past.

Serena looked at Darien with a confused look on her face. "I thought you're the Guardian of the Earth?"

Darien shrugged, "I didn't make any magical dragon." He stated and Gohan laughed slightly.

"No, I think you're the King of the Earth. Or will be. The Guardian is someone different. He's actually an old friend of mine too." Gohan laughed nervously, "He lives up at the lookout."

The scouts all looked at him with wide eyes.

"Gohan," Serena spoke his name with a somewhat threatening tone and he looked at the young Moon Princess nervously, "you seem to be keeping a lot of secrets." She stated.

"So do you." he countered and they all laughed.

"So if these Dragon Balls really exist," Amara spoke suddenly, surveying Gohan with her intense eyes. "Why don't we just gather them together and wish away our enemy?"

Gohan shook his head sadly, frowning, "That's the thing. You can't make wishes like that. The Dragon Ball's are just an extension of the powers of the Guardian. Since he doesn't have the power to defeat the enemy, it would be a wasted wish because the Dragon wouldn't either. The Dragon wouldn't be able to perform such an evil deed anyway, because his creator is a peaceful being."

Amara's fists suddenly clenched and she looked at Gohan with a furious expression. "How dare you!" she shouted, "It is not an evil deed to want to wish away a threat that could destroy everyone!"

Gohan frowned at the furious Scout, "Wishing away a life, whether that person is good or evil, is an evil wish." He defended.

"He's right Amara." Serena suddenly spoke, gently looking at her friend. Amara looked at the Moon Princess with widened eyes, surprised that her leader was speaking out against her. "All life is precious and should not been thrown away hastily. When faced with war, we can only achieve peace by working as a unit to protect our world; untainted by spiteful thoughts of death and destruction. If we wish it upon others, then we will struggle to maintain the purity in our hearts and would destroy one another."

Gohan stared at Serena with surprise.

Where did that come from?

He hadn't noticed the proud gleam in neither Darien's eyes, nor the admiration and softened gaze of the Sailor Scouts as they saw the inner Neo Queen Serenity shining through their ditzy friend Serena. Amara closed her eyes and sighed before opening them and nodding and smiling at her future Queen.

"So Gohan, are we going to see Bulma?" Serena asked brightly and he smiled at her, nodding.

"I'm sure she won't mind if I bring you all along." He said with nervous laughter, hoping that Bulma wouldn't kill him. "And then we need to start training." He said very seriously and the girls nodded with him.

"Oh! Don't forget we've got school tomorrow!" Amy suddenly burst and blushed brightly when everyone stared at her.

"Oh come on Amy! The world is at risk here! I don't want to go to school!" whined Serena and they all laughed at their friend. Only Serena could go from the mature future Queen to a flunking ditzy schoolgirl within a split second.

"But we've got our entrance exams this year! We need to be prepared for those!" Amy said blushing brightly and Gohan smiled at her.

"I don't think I'm going to have time for that." He said sadly, thinking of whether or not he would live to see the next morning once his mother found out about his decision. He was lucky to be alive after he had announced that he was going to start training with Vegeta at the lookout.

"Why don't you just join our study group?" Amy suggested, blushing brightly and Gohan looked at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Yeah!" Serena and Mina suddenly cheered, looking at Gohan with starry eyes. "We could use a smart guy like you around."

Darien cleared his throat rather loudly, looking slightly irritated that his future wife was swooning over the young Saiyan and Serena quickly flung herself onto her boyfriends arms.

"Oh apart from you Darien!" she laughed nervously, "I would love it if you could help me with those really horrible math problems!" He gave her a very unimpressed look and the other scouts laughed at their leaders' situation.

Gohan laughed nervously. "I don't know guys; I don't think I'll have time for school between training you all to fight and training myself. A year isn't very long." He reasoned sadly and Lita frowned at her friend.

"Well Gohan, a year is still more than enough time! We shouldn't forget who we are as individuals just because of our powers. I still want to become a world famous chef and open my own restaurant." She said with true conviction.

Rei nodded, "Yeah and I'm not giving up on my dream of being a careers woman just because I'm Sailor Mars! The future isn't set in stone, so who says we should give up who we are just for that dumb meatball head?"

"HEY!" Serena protested and the group of friends laughed.

Michelle smiled at the young Scouts before she spoke to Gohan, "You know, they're right Gohan. You shouldn't forget to relax and enjoy life, otherwise you're fighting for the sake of fighting. There's nothing for you to protect and preserve."

Gohan thought about this for a moment and was reminded very much of the time when he was training for his battle with Cell. It was one week before the Cell Games were due to begin and the world's greatest fighter, Son Goku, had taken his son fishing. Gohan had asked his father then, out of nerves, whether they should have been fishing instead of training. He learnt then that it was important to relax his body as well as train it, and also recalled how his mother always stressed that it was important to train the mind as well as the body.

He smiled at the memory and agreed to return to school and join their study group. The inner Sailor Scouts cheered and they all laughed as they headed towards Capsule Corporation to meet the famous Bulma Briefs.


	11. Chapter 11

Gohan landed in the front garden of Capsule Corporation, having flown slightly ahead of his friends to warn Bulma of their arrival. He found her in Vegeta's training room, digging around in the walls of electrics and trying to fix the damage her husband's constant use had caused. Gohan heard her grumbling some choice words about her husband and felt it may be a good time to interrupt her.

"Uh, hey Bulma?" Gohan called to her.

"OW!" she cried as she jumped and sounded like she hit her head on something quite hard. She sat up after carefully climbing out of the small tunnel and rubbed the small bump that was now forming on her head. "Oh, hey Gohan. What's up?" she asked, smiling at her young friend.

He smiled back at her and laughed slightly nervously, "Well uh-" but he was suddenly interrupting by a loud screaming and crashing sounds.

"What the-!" Bulma muttered to herself as she got to her feet to find the source of the commotion. Gohan didn't need his super-human senses to know what was causing it.

"NO! I'M A GUEST HERE! I'VE BEEN INVITED! LET ME GO! THEY KNOW ME I TELL YOU! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!" screamed Serena, kicking and screaming as she struggled against the security robots of the company.

Her boyfriend and friends stood outside the gates, blushing with embarrassment as they watched their friend continue to struggle against the security guards.

"What's going on here?" Bulma called, coming out of the house. "Who are you?" she demanded and Gohan cleared his throat nervously from behind his friend.

"LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!" screamed Mina, who had also tried to follow her Princess into the grounds. "THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY!" she continued to struggle.

"When you start acting like one, maybe they'll treat you like one." grumbled Rei and the other Scouts laughed quietly, blushing at their ditzy friends' behaviour.

"Why does this always happen to her?" Gohan could hear Darien ask the group rhetorically.

"Um, Bulma?" Gohan called again but was quickly cut off by the angry wife of the Saiyan Prince.

"Just a second Gohan, we get their sort here all the time." Bulma sighed and approached the struggling Moon Princess. "HEY! This is private property and you're trespassing! Please leave now before we have to call the police!" she threatened.

"AHHHH NOOO DON'T CALL THE POLICE! WE WERE INVITED HERE! I SWEAR! I WASN'T DOING ANYTHING WRONG AND THEY JUST GRABBED ME!" Serena cried and as the robots continued to try to escort her off the premises.

Suddenly, Mina noticed Gohan standing awkwardly behind the rich heiress of Capsule Corporation and his eyes widened when he realised she'd noticed him. "GOHAN! TELL THEM TO LET ME GO! TELL THEM I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! TELL THEM ABOUT HOW I'M MEANT TO BE THEIR NEW SPOKESMODEL!"

Bulma turned to look at Gohan, frowning angrily. "Gohan?" she questioned threateningly and he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head whilst his friends stood at the gate, looking on at Mina with disbelief.

"Uh, I tried to tell you Bulma. These are some of my friends from school. They really wanted to meet you, and I needed to come see you anyway so I thought I'd bring them along." He laughed nervously and smiled his signature Son grin. Bulma sighed and signalled to the guards to release the struggling teenagers.

"You better have a good reason for all this Gohan." Bulma warned as she turned and began to walk into the house, ordering her robotic maid to brew some fresh tea and coffee and bring snacks for their guests. Gohan, Darien and the Scouts followed her shortly after.

The Scouts seemed to feel very awkward all of a sudden as they sat in the luxurious lounge of the CEO and heiress of Capsule Corporation, Bulma Briefs. Amy seemed like a small child as she happily looked at all the technological gadgets around the house, from their robotic housekeeper to their advanced security system. The group had also finally managed to calm down Mina, in her starry eyed attempts to persuade Bulma to let her join their marketing team as their new spokesmodel.

"Alright Gohan," Bulma suddenly spoke up as she sipped her coffee. "What's going on?"

Gohan glanced nervously at Serena, who was too busy gorging herself on the delicious snacks to notice his hesitation. He glanced at the other Scouts and, after an encouraging nod from Darien, he decided the truth was the best option. After all, Bulma had been through everything with the Saiyan's since the beginning and had even married the Saiyan Prince and bore his child.

"You remember I told you I sensed a really powerful energy a little while back?" he began and she nodded for him to continue. "Well, I found the source."

Bulma cut him off quite quickly as he spoke, "Yes, I know Gohan. You were training with Vegeta at the lookout since Goku told you to be prepared." She nodded and Gohan stared at her for a moment before she winked, "I may be human but I am still the wife to the Saiyan Prince. He will tell me what I want to know, whether he wants to or not." She smirked and Gohan laughed. "So who're all your friends?" she questioned after taking another sip of her coffee, curiously looking at each member of his group.

"That's the thing." Gohan began nervously, "You remember I mentioned the Sailor Scouts to you?" he started and she nodded. He felt a stern gaze on him and automatically looked to Amara, whose fierce eyes seemed to be daring him to continue. He laughed slightly nervously before he decided that Bulma needed to know and could obviously be trusted. "They're them."

Bulma stared for a moment at Gohan before she frowned, "You lost me. Who's them?"

"These are the Sailor Scouts." He said and began pointing at each girl, telling her their Scout name. "And this is Darien, who's also Tuxedo Mask." Gohan finished and Bulma seemed to be looking at him a bit sympathetically.

"Sweetie, are you sure you've been getting enough sleep? Chichi said you've been a bit on edge lately. Maybe you've been training too hard?" Bulma suggested, unable to accept that the strange group of girls around her were truly the legendary Sailor Soldiers. Gohan sighed exasperatedly and looked at the Scouts in desperation. Amy smiled at him, understanding his look within an instant.

"Amy what-" Amara began to protest but before she could, Amy had already got to her feet and raised her power stick.

"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER!" she cried and the entire room watched in awe as she transformed into Sailor Mercury. Amy, now in her Super Sailor Mercury state, smiled at the stunned face of Bulma Briefs.

Amara's fists were clenched in anger and she glared in Gohan's direction. Because of him, they were being exposed to one of the biggest names in the world. Michelle placed her hand on top of Amara's fists in a comforting way, giving her a meaningful look. Amara continued to frown angrily, but did not object to the gesture and relaxed at the Michelle's touch.

"Now you believe me?" Gohan directed to Bulma who nodded, laughing in a surreal manner.

"Well, I guess I was right when I said they're just a bunch of teenagers." Bulma muttered to herself as she recovered from the initial shock. Sailor Mercury took her seat again and closed her eyes, returning back to her resting state as Amy Mizuno once more.

Gohan then went on to explain the message they had received from Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion, the future rulers of their Solar System and the future forms of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.

"So, we need to get them prepared for a battle and I promised Dad that we'd gather the Dragon Balls, just in case we need them." Gohan finished and Bulma nodded, placing her empty cup of coffee on the glass table that was set neatly in the centre of the room.

"You should've just said so in the first place. Goku used to show up all the time, get the radar from me and leave without another word. I had no idea what that boy would use those wishes for, but I guess I always knew it was for the good of the Earth." She smiled fondly as she remembered her oldest friend and Gohan smiled sadly. Amara shot Gohan a very dirty and threatening look when she heard this; he exposed them and told Bulma an unnecessary amount of information.

"At least you're not as irresponsible as he used to be." Bulma complimented, winking to the young Saiyan happily before getting to her feet and walking into her office. She returned a few moments later with the radar in hand, blowing dust from its' screen. She pressed the button on the top and smiled when it blinked into life. "Good, it still words."

Gohan frowned, "Why wouldn't it work? Did you break it?"

Bulma shook her head, "No, but the lack of use could've messed up the system. I mean, we've not used it since that last Cell episode."

Gohan nodded in understanding and ignored the glances his friends were giving him. Bulma handed the radar to Gohan, who carefully put it in his pocket. "Thanks Bulma." He grinned.

The woman's eyes suddenly narrowed as she continued to observe the young Saiyan sat before her. He felt as though she were x-raying him with the sharp eyes that only a mother had. "You want something else from me, don't you Gohan?" Bulma sighed and he laughed, scratching the back of his head and smiling his Son grin.

"Well now that you mention it, I was hoping we could use Vegeta's gravity room for some training with the Scouts?" he laughed nervously as Bulma rolled her eyes and then smiled at the young boy.

"You're out of luck kid, he broke it again. I was fixing it when you showed up." Gohan looked very disheartened at the news.

"That's why he's training at the lookout." Gohan realised.

"Bingo." nodded Bulma, taking her seat beside Amara and Michelle once more. "Though, I suppose after I finish fixing Vegeta's gravity room, I could build another one super quick for you and the Scouts to use? I'll make it bigger too since Vegeta's is obviously only built for one person and all of you would probably struggle to get a decent workout in there." Bulma suggested and Gohan looked up at her with his hopeful smile.

"Really, you mean it?" he asked and she smiled, laughing at his reaction slightly.

"Well yeah, Gohan that thing is tiny and if you're planning on training all of them, they'll-"

"No no I mean you'll really build an even bigger gravity room for us?" Gohan quickly cut across, laughing and Bulma laughed before confirming her promise.

"It'll take a bit of time though Gohan." She warned and he smiled at her brightly.

"That's ok. We can get some basic exercises done while you're working on that." He smiled.

Amara suddenly spoke up, frowning at Gohan before she looked to Bulma, "We really appreciate your help, Mrs. Briefs. But can I just ask how long it's going to take you to build this gravity room? We don't have much time before the battle."

"Mrs. Briefs?" Bulma repeated in surprise and then laughed in embarrassment, "You don't need to be so formal with me honey, Mrs. Breifs is my mom. You can just call me Bulma. Hmm, now let me think. It'll probably take me a couple of days to fix all the damage in Vegeta's gravity room. But after that, I think it shouldn't take more than a few days... maybe a week at most." Bulma confirmed with a smile.

Amara's eyes widened in surprise, "Really? You can get it done that quickly?"

"That's amazing!" complimented Serena, who had finally seemed to stopped gorging on the luxurious snacks Bulma had set before the group.

Bulma smiled and laughed slightly, "Well, it's one of the perks of being a genius. I mean I'll need to get all the material sent in for this one, but that shouldn't take too long." She winked, "And I'll need some help putting it together-"

"Oh I'd love to help!" Amy suddenly piped in and then blushed brightly, returning to a shy state as she tried to cover her statement with incoherent mutterings.

Bulma laughed and smiled brightly at Amy, "Well if you've got the brains kid, then I'd could always use an extra pair of hands." She smiled encouragingly at Amy, who suddenly looked very excited.

"Oh can I help too?" gasped Mina and the group stared at her for a moment.

"Mina, you're flunking just as bad as I am! How do you plan to help?" Serena muttered to her friend rather cynically.

Mina suddenly smirked proudly and got to her feet, pointing to the sky with a determined gaze. "I won't need to work in the brainy side of things! I can be her personal assistant, keeping away all those prying eyes and spies from other companies trying to steal your plans." She suddenly snuck behind the sofa and grabbed Rei, making her jump slightly in irritation. "I'll be like a ninja and they won't even know what hit them! No one can resist the Sailor Scout of Love and Beauty!" she cried proudly and began to laugh in faux menace. "BWHAHA- OWWW!" she suddenly slunk back into her seat, holding her head.

Rei had momentarily lost her temper after that little stunt and hit her friend over the head. There was a bright red blush across her cheeks, "You're so embarrassing!" Rei grumbled and the entire group laughed at their little shenanigans.

"Weird, normally I'm the one who gets hit around the head." giggled Serena.

"You want one?" Mina threatened quickly, raising her hand and Serena ducked behind her boyfriend.

"No no no no!" she quickly squealed, shaking her head furiously. Darien blushed slightly out of embarrassment and the group continued to laugh at the dramatic girls.

"Hey Gohan?" questioned Lita and he looked over to her with a smile. "Where're we going to train until the gravity room is ready?"

His eyes suddenly widened and his smile vanished in a blank look of surprise. He folded his arms and scratched his chin with a frown as he thought for a few moments.

"We could always train at the Temple?" Darien suggested and Rei's eyes widened suddenly.

"No way! He always destroyed it last time with his Super Saiyan stuff!" she gasped and blushed in embarrassment, looking awkwardly to Gohan. "No offence Gohan." She quickly muttered and the boy laughed.

"None taken, honestly." He grinned.

"You should've seen how much stuff Gohan and Goku broke when we were in training to fight Cell." Bulma said, "They were in their Super Saiyan form 24/7 and Chichi flipped out at how much stuff they broke." The group laughed as Gohan blushed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment at the memory.

"Well I kept forgetting how strong I was and how easily stuff breaks." Gohan tried to defend, and suddenly slammed his fist into his palm. "Say, that's it! We can just train at my house! There'll be loads of space and no one will see us since it's so far out."

"That's a really good idea! Then your mom can cook loads of those yummy treats she sends you to school work!" Serena spoke happily, stars in her eyes as she thought of all that wonderful food Gohan always had. Everyone laughed at Serena's typical train of thought, but Rei suddenly frowned.

"That's a great idea and everything, but how will we get there? You can fly, which is why it doesn't take you too long." she commented and Gohan frowned. "If any of us tried to drive there, it'd take us at least 4 or 5 hours."

"Well I can fly you guys there?" Darien suggested.

"Yeah that's right! You flew us there last time when we wanted to see if Gohan was at home." Lita commented with a smile.

"Yeah and you've got to come for training too Darien." Gohan laughed as the future King of the World's eyes widened slightly.

"Should've seen that one coming." He muttered with a sigh and the group laughed happily..

They had all agreed to return to Capsule Corp the following weekend to begin their training in the gravity room. Until then, the group were to head to Mount Paozu with Gohan after school every day to train in the basics of technique. Amy had also shyly suggested bringing their homework and textbooks so that they could study while they weren't training.

"All this extra work is going to drive me into hibernation!" Gohan could hear Serena complaining to her friends as they excitedly discussed their training session that was due to begin the following day. He couldn't help laughing quietly at her statement as he quickly finished the last of his homework before the school day officially began. He packed away his books as Miss Haruna called the class to attention. Gohan looked forward and noticed a strange girl stood in front of everyone, looking down to the ground as she patiently waited to be introduced.

A blush rose to Gohan's cheeks as he looked at her; she was beautiful.

She had a light and creamy colour to her skin, with a slim and dainty figure that was curvaceous and held an air of grace just from her presence. Her long silvery blue hair fell elegantly to her waist, and rough cut bangs lay just above her eyes. Her eyes... they seemed somewhat familiar, but were so innocent and scared that Gohan felt the immediate need to protect her. They were an intense hazel colour that drew the young Saiyan in with an almost magical trance.

"Good morning everyone." Miss Haruna called, snapping Gohan out of his daze from staring at the beautiful new student.

"Good morning Miss Haruna." The class chanted back and she smiled at them before placing a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.

"This is Saito Nikiko, our newest transfer student. I'm sure you'll make her feel very welcome." She said and Nikiko blushed brightly before bowing to the class and taking the only empty seat left behind Amy. She walked with such elegance and grace; it was almost as if she were walking on a cloud.

"Now, we'll begin by looking over simultaneous equations." Miss Haruna said and began to write questions and explanations on the blackboard.

Gohan glanced around the room and realised that he wasn't the only guy to notice how beautiful Nikiko was. He felt his fists involuntarily clench in anger upon seeing the hungry looks in the eyes of his classmates as they stared at Nikiko. He glanced to her again and felt himself relax and smile as he saw Amy turn around and introduce herself to Nikiko. The new girl seemed the just blush brightly and shyly looked down, nodding at Amy's introduction but nothing more; she allowed her silvery blue bangs to fall in front of her perfect eyes and hide them from the world. Nikiko just began to quietly take notes from the lesson and Amy smiled at her before turning around and beginning her own work as well, somehow unaffected by the girls introverted response.

Perhaps if he was lucky, Amy would bring Nikiko to eat lunch with them! Gohan smiled as he looked at Amy. She must still remember how awkward it is to be the new girl. He continued to gaze at the intelligent and secret Princess of Mercury and couldn't help thinking how truly quite wonderful she was. And so beautiful-

Wait, WHAT? Gohan shook his head slightly, a blush rising to his cheeks as he glanced towards Amy once again. She looked his way and smiled sweetly at him. His blush darkened and he smiled back at her with his goofy Son grin, willing his blush to fade but with no avail. Gohan frowned in concentration as he decided it would be a good time to start paying attention in math, before he was called on to answer a question.

"Son Gohan?" questioned a tiny voice that Gohan had never heard before.

He had been stood by his locker, laughing with Serena and Amy whilst he grabbed his bag filled with his lunch. Looking around, his eyes landed on none other than Nikiko, and an immediate light pink colour rose to his cheeks.

"You are Son Gohan, aren't you?" she questioned quietly, not looking at him in the eyes. He nodded at her, somehow having lost the ability to speak. "I wish to speak with you." she continued quietly. Gohan nodded again blankly, unable to change his surprised expression, nor successfully convey a message from his brain to interact with his voice box. Serena watched the scene with a gleeful expression, having noticed Gohan's attraction to the new girl.

The Moon Princess giggled and grabbed Amy's arm, "We'll meet you on the roof!" she called to Gohan before dragging her friend away. "I think Gohan might have a thing for Nikiko!" giggled Serena and happily joined her other friends for lunch. If Serena had been a bit more observant, she may have noticed the look on Amy's face as she said this.

"Uh, hi." Gohan finally managed to choke out with a nervous laugh. She gazed at him with her perfect hazel eyes and Gohan felt as though they were rooting him to the spot.

"Follow me please, Son Gohan." she said quietly, and he compiled without a second thought.

Gohan walked with the beautiful new girl to the roof of the building, where he was due to meet the rest of his friends. He glanced at their group as they waved to him to join them, but then turned away and followed Nikiko to the opposite side of the roof to sit alone.

As they sat on the floor, Nikiko sat very closely with Gohan, and he felt a strong blush rising in his cheeks once more.

"So you.. uhh.. you w-wanted to t-ta—" Gohan tried to stutter out, flustered by being in such close proximity to the girl.

"Yes, Son Gohan." she cut across his stuttering. "I wished to speak with you alone. I have heard of your greatness."

He stared at her with a blank look, the blush on his face seemed to suddenly vanish. How could she know who he was?

"I saw you fight against that dome of evil with the Sailor Scouts." She clarified and looked down to her hands once more. "You must have a very pure heart to have survived such a battle without harm." She continued and Gohan's furious blush returned. He hadn't realised that other people may have seen him and the Scouts when they finally met that Nikojin.

"Uh- well.." Gohan stuttered once more and was, again, cut short by Nikiko.

"I have also heard of your father's greatness." She said suddenly and his eyes widened. He didn't know how to respond to what she was saying. "Becoming the World Champion in martial arts is a very difficult feat; yet your father seemed to achieve this at a very young age." She continued and Gohan's expression seemed to dawn in realisation.

"Well, he was very-" he tried to say and she cut across him once more.

"I wish to train with you, Son Gohan." She said finally and looked him in the eyes.

"Huh?"

* * *

A/N: I just thought I'd clarify something that was pointed out to me in the reviews as well, to which I replied but thought I'd mention here in case some haven't read that explanation. The Ascended Saiyan state that Gohan can achieve is another name for SSJ2. It was called this by Goku in the Buu Saga episode "Goku's Time Is Up" where he demonstrates the stages of a Saiyan transformation to Goten and Trunks. An Ascended Saiyan is **not** the same as an Ascended Super Saiyan. The Ascended Super Saiyan just refers to the bulky and more powerful form of a Super Saiyan, but is a true transformation into the next fighters form as it sacrifices speed for strength.

A/N 2: If any readers are getting annoyed about Vegeta being able to beat Gohan during their training sessions earlier on, there's a reason behind it. I know Gohan's power may have decreased over time but not to that bad a state that it was at the start of the Buu saga, but you have to remember that this is just a story that I've made up. I've tried to make it accurately related to both anime's, but there are certain events that I have had to emphasise for the sake of the story. Gohan is indeed still very strong, but as his power has been decreasing from the lack of training whilst Vegeta's has been increasing due to continuous training. But the main reason Gohan was unable to defeat Vegeta was due to becoming out of practice with his technique, so his reflexes and fighting instinct are not what they once were. This is demonstrated again in the Buu Saga when he fights Dabura and Goku complains that Gohan shouldn't be trying to attack Dabura head on. I tried to explain this as the problem with Gohan's fighting through Piccolo's kindof motivational speech, but I don't think it was clear. Do try to remember that some things are exaggerated for the sake of the story though, because that's all this is.

Final A/N 3: I thought I'd post this update now because I doubt I'll be able to update again until next weekend. I know a lot hasn't happened in this chapter, but a lot more will happen in the next one so I'll make it a lot longer! I just really need to go grocery shopping and start planning this Database Normalisation coursework I'm meant to do. Really sorry but I hope you're all still enjoying the story and thank you soo much for all your reviews! I really appreciate all of them and I'm trying to update as much as I can!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **I apologise for the massive delay in this chapter being published, but I hope the length of this chapter makes up for how late it is! I literally spent all my weekend writing it since I know I won't be able to update again until next weekend.. Enjoy!

* * *

"Ok, well... this is kind of weird." laughed Gohan as he observed his friends lining up in front of him, ready to begin training under his guidance. "First of all, let's see what you've got!" Gohan shouted as he took a fighting stance. "Attack me." He stated, looking fierce and ready.

The girls looked at one another before looking back at Gohan with blank looks.

"You mean, like this?" Amy asked, sounding slightly surprised.

"Not as Sailor Scouts?" Mina continued, with a doubtful air to her tone.

"Yeah! You shouldn't have to rely on being a Sailor Scout to defend yourself." Gohan commented and they suddenly looked very nervous before nodding at one another.

"Right!" cried Serena, looking very serious. Simultaneously, the group charged forward and tried to attack Gohan. After taking note that their ki was ridiculously low, he decided it would be safer to dodge them than to fight back. They punched and kicked him left, right and centre and Gohan continually dodged their onslaught of attacks.

The girls all seemed to gradually stop, gasping for breath as Gohan looked at them with an air of surprise. "Oh come on!" he frowned, "You haven't even hit me yet!"

"We don't have much power when we're like this!" Lita complained and Gohan frowned, not wanting to have to encourage their reliance on their Sailor forms. But it seemed as though he had no choice.

He sighed, "Alright-" he began but was cut off by a laughing child.

"YAAAYYY! MY TURN!" cried none other than Son Goten, the youngest half-Saiyan on Earth. He came charging out of the Son residence, clearly having seen his brother and the group of girls attempting to attack him. He began to try and punch and kick Gohan at incredible speed. It wasn't as fast as Gohan though, who was easily dodging the onslaught with an amused grin on his face. The youngest Saiyan never even managed to scratch his brother, whilst the girls simply stared on in horror.

He was faster than them and he was still a toddler.

"Goten!" Gohan scolded, grabbing onto his brothers hands and holding him away at arms' length. "That's enough! I can't play right now!" he said forcefully and the young child started to whimper sadly.

"Oh Gohan, look at the poor kid!" Serena cooed, approaching Goten with a gentle gaze. "We can play for a little while Goten." smiled the Moon Princess.

Gohan's eyes widened at her words, "No wait-" he began but it was too late. Goten's eyes shone in that moment and he had leapt free of his brother's grip and began attacking Serena. She screamed as she attempted to dodge the young child's attacks; each blow just barely missing her every time. She decided that best method might be to just run and she screamed as she ran around the group, trying to get away from the laughing child behind her.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" she screamed at her friends, who all seemed at a loss of what to do. Goten laughed and began firing small ki blasts in her direction, which she was just barely avoiding. She screamed even louder when she noticed the last one had singed her skirt.

"Why are you just standing there!" Rei shouted to Gohan, as Darien made a dive for Goten but missed. The child happily bounced over the future king of the earth as if he were just another rock.

"GOTCHA!" cried Mina as she too made a dive for him, but tripped over her own feet and missed completely with a shrill scream.

As expected, Serena's clumsiness kicked in the moment she looked back to see whether or not she was still being chased. She managed to trip over air and fell flat on her face. She sat up, tears in her eyes and she rubbed her nose, groaning in pain. Suddenly, her eyes widened as a ki blast came firing in her direction. She had no time to even thing about evading and a shrill scream escaped her lips. "HELP ME!"

"WORLD SHAKING!" they could hear Sailor Uranus suddenly shout from the middle of nowhere and there was a mass explosion as the attack collided with the young Saiyan's ki blast.

"SERENA!" the girls all screamed, staring at the location where their gentle leader had been sat. A cloud of smoke blocked her from view as a result of the explosion. Slowly, as the scene became clearly, they saw Serena staring in front of her with wide eyes. She seemed frozen with shock as she saw Gohan had taken the hit from both attacks and seemed completely indifferent from something that would have surely killed the Moon Princess.

"Goten! I said that's enough!" Gohan scolded with a very angry face and voice, furiously glaring down at his little brother.

Goten frowned angrily at Gohan and folded his chubby arms across his bulging tummy. "No fair!" he complained and stamped his foot on the ground. "You cheated!" The child turned and glared at the fully transformed Sailor Uranus, who was staring at Gohan with a shocked expression.

"It's not your turn!" he cried in fury, charging up another ki blast in his hands. Gohan's eyes widened as he sensed how much more powerful this one was than its predecessor.

"GOTEN DON'T!" Gohan shouted, just as his brother released a the powerful blast at the Scout. Sailor Uranus seemed horrified from the previous ineffectiveness of her attack and didn't even bother to try to defend herself. Gohan immediately leapt into the air, cupping his hands to his hips as he began to charge up his ki.

"Ka me ha me-" he began, whilst still in the air. A small blue ball of energy began to form in his hands. He somersaulted in the air and landed skilfully in front of the Sailor Solider, eyes focused only on the oncoming attack from his brother.

"-HA!" he shouted as he finished his attack and launched a powerful wave of energy at his brother. The girls screamed at the sight, horrified that Gohan appeared to be attacking his own brother. Gohan's kamehameha wave immediately absorbed Goten's ki blast and, upon confirming this, Gohan moved his hands up to redirect his blast away and into the atmosphere, where it would eventually become nothingness. Gohan let out a long breath that he hadn't even realised he'd been holding. Then, with a stern look, he turned back to his little brother. Goten was just staring at the spot where he had last seen the kamehameha wave disappear, an angry and childish frown on his face.

"No fair!" he shouted again, crossing his arms over his chest and stamping his foot.

"Goten! Go inside." Gohan snapped, walking towards his brother. "We're not playing right now. We're working."

Goten seemed to have other ideas, as he suddenly grinned mischievously at his big brother and charged up another ki blast. But he didn't even get a chance to fire it before he was knocked back by a small blue orb. The girls stared at Gohan in amazement, as they realised he'd sent a gentle ki blast at his brother.

"Goten." Gohan said with a threatening warning in his tone. "Don't make me count to three."

Goten stared at his big brother for a few moments in stunned silence.

"One..." Gohan began but stopped as Goten's expression began to grow sad, and then tearful. "Uh oh." he muttered, eyes widening.

"What?" Sailor Uranus asked, suddenly finding her voice once more after having transformed from her resting alter ego, Amara, in the rush to defend her Princess.

Before Gohan could even answer, however, the ground beneath them began to shake as Goten began wailing furiously, "STOP BEING MEAN TO ME! THAT HURT! GOHAN IS VERY BAD!"

"GOTEN!" Gohan shouted, levitating into the air to keep somewhat balanced. The girls screamed as they struggled to stay on their feet. "FLYING NIMBUS! HURRY!" Gohan shouted desperately and within moments, the scuttling sound of their faithful Nimbus cloud could be heard. It zoomed past Gohan's position in the air and scooped up the distraught toddler.

The affect was immediate.

Goten stopped crying and immediately began laughing joyfully, "GOTEN IS A BIRDY! GOTEN IS A BIRDY!" he laughed and Gohan let out an exasperated sigh.

"ICARUS!" he called and looked to the forest. The girls stared in the direction of his vision, and screamed when a large purple dragon appeared from it. Within moments, it had flown towards the floating Saiyan and began licking his face happily. Gohan laughed and stroked his old friend.

"Sorry pal, not today." He smiled and the Dragon seemed to look at him in confusion. "Goten needs someone to play with while I'm busy, mind hanging out with him for now?" Gohan asked kindly and the Dragon seemed to cheer up immediately. With one last affectionate lick to the face, Icarus flew off in the same direction as the Flying Nimbus and began to play with the laughing toddler once more. Gohan let out an exasperated sigh and gently returned back to the ground.

"Sorry about that!" he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head and smiling his signature Son grin.

"That power..." Michelle muttered quietly and Sailor Uranus' eyes hardened as she glared at Gohan.

"That kid was out of control!" she growled and Gohan frowned at her with a slight look of confusion.

"Well, yeah. He's only 3." He stated and Uranus' eyes widened; she looked even more furious than before.

"You should teach him to control his powers before he starts attacking everyone!" she shouted angrily, her gloved hands clenching and Gohan frowned even more.

"It's not his fault!" he defended, "He's a Saiyan. It's in his blood."

"Amara, he's just a child. He hasn't learnt to control his powers yet." reasoned Michelle gently, placing a hand on her partners' arm to calm her.

The Solider of the Sky growled but relaxed her stance slightly, "He should be taught to control them before he's taught how to attack." she grumbled and Gohan continued to frown, looking slightly confused.

"But, how do you expect him to learn to control them if he doesn't know how to access them?" he asked quite innocently, but raised his eyebrows in surprise at the dirty look that shot in his direction.

"He does have a point." Rei said weakly and Mina smiled.

"Yeah, the kid was strong but he wasn't any trouble really."

"Not with Gohan around at least." laughed Lita, "Serena and Sailor Uranus might've been in trouble if he wasn't around to stop Goten."

"Gee, thanks for the help and support there, guys." Serena grumbled sarcastically and the group laughed.

"You seemed to have it under control." Darien teased with a grin, "And besides, I thought you like kids?"

"Yeah, you and Reeni seemed to get along swell!" Mina joked and Serena glared at her in faux irritation.

"I do like kids! **She **was just the exception." Serena grumbled, folding her arms across her chest and turning away while the group laughed at her again.

"Well, you'll learn to love her." winked Mina with a knowing smile.

"After all, you and Darien have some time before she's on the way." Lita reasoned and laughed as she suddenly noticed the deep blush that one little comment had caused on both faces of Darien and Serena.

"Huh? Who're you guys talking about?" Gohan asked, with a very confused look. At least they weren't angry about poor Goten.

"No one!" Darien and Serena both defended very quickly and the girls laughed even more at their embarrassment, including Michelle and Sailor Uranus.

"Hey, are we here to train or make fun of my future?" growled Serena as the laughter died down, though there were still cheeky grins on the girls faces.

"So what's next Gohan?" Darien asked, smiling at his friend.

"Uhh..." Gohan paused as he frowned, thinking for a moment. "Just a sec." He ran inside his house and returned after a few minutes, a satisfied smile on his face. "Ok, well, clearly you guys aren't that great at hand-to-hand combat—" he began but was cut off by the furious Solider of the Sky.

"That's because we were still in our human forms. If we transformed into Sailor Scouts, we'd have more power and speed. And you've obviously got an advantage from being a Saiyan anyway." she growled furiously, causing Michelle to place her hand on her arm once more to calm her. Gohan, however, looked thoughtful as he considered her words.

"You're right." he said finally and she blinked, looking at him in surprise before a smirk pasted across her face. "Let's see what the difference is if you're all Sailor Scouts, or Tuxedo Mask." He said, directing his last comment to Darien. They all nodded at one another and transformed. Gohan had to wait a few moments for their transformations to finish before he could continue.

He sighed before he spoke, "You may want to work on making speedier transformations." He commented and received a very dangerous glare from Amara, who had also been waiting as the deadly Sailor Uranus. He looked at them all slowly for a few moments, as the Scouts calmly waited for his next set of instructions. Taking on a fighting stance, he grinned. "Ok, let's try this again. Attack me." He stated and, after glancing at one another, the Scouts nodded and he felt their ki's simultaneously rise.

Sailor Mars immediately sent her flame shooter directed at Gohan's heart, coupled with Sailor Venus wrapping the flame with her love and beauty shockwave. Gohan dodged it easily by leaping into the air, but had to act quick as he was suddenly lost sight of the entire group. Sailor Mercury had cast her Mercury bubbles to hide them from his view. Gohan frowned at this attempt as he tried to remember whether or not he had already told them about his ability to sense their ki. He closed his eyes and focused as he felt another ki rising.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" he heard Sailor Jupiter cry and easily spun his body rapidly, deflecting her attack with the violent speed of his defence. Just as he stopped and landed silently again on the soft grass of the mountain top, he gasped as his face was suddenly attacked by annoying...things!

What is it? Gohan raised his ki to create an energy field around himself and disintegrated the things that had attacked his face, suddenly realising that they were magical rose petals. He was distracted just long enough as his senses picked up a high ki approaching him. Taking a fighting stance, Gohan prepared himself to defend against the World Shaking and Deep Submerge attack approaching him, but gasped in surprise again as he was bound by the Sailor Venus' love chain. Furiously, he looked ahead and saw the attacks approaching at a rapid speed. Gohan raised his ki and created another energy field around himself, breaking free of the magical chain and absorbing the two powerful attacks sent from the magical soldiers of the sky and seas.

"He just absorbed some of our strongest attacks!" gasped Sailor Mercury, her surrounding mist clearing when Gohan raised his energy. "Our magical attacks won't be enough. We'll need to weaken him to even stand a chance!"

At these words, Tuxedo Mask immediately charged forward with his magical cane and began to spare with Gohan. Though, taking into account his ki level once more, Gohan remained simple defensive. As the future King of the World punched and kicked and struck the young Saiyan, they both moved at super human speeds in their battle and neither could resist the urge to smirk.

"Got to hand it to you Darien," Gohan compliment as he raised his forearm above his head to block an attack from Darien's magical cane, "you've got some skills!"

Gohan could see Darien smirk as he aimed a roundhouse kick at the young fighter, who simple ducked quickly out of the way. "So do you." he returned graciously. "I'm impressed."

Gohan grinned as he jumped gently into the air to avoid the backwards kick that followed Tuxedo Masks' roundhouse kick. "Well, I have had about a decade to perfect my technique." He winked as Darien smirked as he extended his magical cane and it struck Gohan in the middle of his forehead quite roughly, momentarily confusing the young Saiyan.

Gohan frowned with a childish look gracing his handsome adolescent face as he rubbed his forehead.

"WHOO HOO! GO TUXEDO MASK!" Sailor Moon cheered from the sidelines and Gohan laughed as he saw a light blush appear on Darien's handsome face. He could have sworn that he also heard a quiet groan of annoyance escape the future King.

"Sailor Moon, why don't you help us attack instead of just standing there?" They heard Sailor Mars say angrily, with an air of impatience in her tone.

Sailor Moon suddenly stopped cheering and froze as her eyes widened. She laughed nervously before answering very quickly, "Well because my attacks are so strong, you know? I mean, it only takes one to destroy those monsters we're always against and they'll just moon dust him if I attack him. It's for his own good really." she finished, closing her eyes and shaking her finger at her friend with a wise look on her face. Sailor Mars simply slapped her hand on her forehead as she let out a sigh of disbelief.

The other scouts seemed to giggle quietly at Sailor Moon's statement.

"Very modest there, Sailor Moon." smirked Sailor Uranus and Sailor Moon blushed, laughing in embarrassment again. After continuing their battle, Tuxedo Mask frowned as he noticed something about their little training session.

He jumped back from Gohan and frowned. The young Saiyan looked confused at the sudden movement and blinked, looking at Tuxedo Mask in surprise.

"Hey, why'd you stop? You were doing really well!" Gohan complained, lowering his hands from their defensive position near his face.

Tuxedo Mask continued to frown, "Aren't you going to attack me back?"

Gohan blinked again at his question, that same surprised and confused look never leaving his innocent face. "No, not really." He laughed and scratched he back of his head nervously. But his laughter immediately ceased as he noticed Tuxedo Mask's grip tighten around his cane and he seemed to look, well, rather upset.

"Why not?" he demanded, "We're meant to be sparring aren't we? How am I going to get stronger if I don't take a few punches?"

Gohan frowned, his expression becoming serious very suddenly. "You're definitely not ready for me to fight back." He stated, his light and goofy tone suddenly lowered to emphasise the deadly statement.

Sailor Uranus looked as furious at his words as Tuxedo Mask, but they remained silent as Gohan continued.

"I can sense your ki-" he began but was immediately cut off.

"What? What's my ki?" Tuxedo Mask frowned.

"Your ki is your life energy. Everyone has a unique ki wave and it's kind of like a power level within their own life. Everyone has the ability to sense one another using their energy waves, once you train your mind to notice it in the air."

Tuxedo Mask's eyes widened at these words as he had a sudden flashback of when he was in Gohan's bedroom, the day they had discovered who he really was.

_"Why are you trying to push them away Gohan?" Darien asked after a few moments. The young Saiyan opened his mouth to answer but closed it suddenly and stared at his door. Questioningly, Darien looked to the door as well. After a few moments of silence, they heard footsteps approaching and Chichi walked into the room with a tray in her hands._

_Darien made a move to get up, but Gohan was by his mothers' side within moments. He took the tray from her grasp and carefully placed it on his desk._

_"How many times have I told you to at least open the door for me, instead of just watching me come in?" sighed Chichi and Gohan sent a small apologetic smile her way. Darien turned back to Gohan as soon as he heard Mrs. Son's footsteps fade away._

_"How did you know that she was coming in?" asked Darien in surprise at the skill the young boy before him possessed. Gohan swung absentmindedly left and right in his spinning desk chair and shrugged._

_"Habit." He responded simply._

Now Tuxedo Mask knew the true power behind this little _habit_ of Gohan's.

"The stronger you are, the higher your ki wave is." Gohan continued to explain, his tone and expression remained deadly serious as he spoke, in an attempt to ensure that they understood him. "I knew your true identities from the moment I met you as Sailor Scouts." The Sailor Scouts' eyes widened at this statement, but before they could argue Gohan continued his explanation. "Your ki wave doesn't change just because your outfit did. It just increased because you had access to your planetary power. And, for now, your ki waves aren't enough to handle me attacking in my resting state."

Tuxedo Mask and the Sailor Scouts seemed to stare at Gohan in awe from this statement, well, except Sailor Mercury. She was typing away very quickly on her compact computer, the screen across her brilliant blue eyes quickly scanned both power levels of Gohan and Tuxedo Mask.

"He's right." she confirmed, making some of the Sailor Scouts gasp in shock. "His resting power level is just over 300, 000, while Tuxedo Mask's power is nearer around the upper 150,000 margin."

"What about us?" Sailor Uranus asked, frowning at her fellow soldier.

Mercury continued to type away on her computer as she scanned her friends, "We're just over the 200,000 level, now that we've transformed." Sailor Uranus didn't seem too pleased with this answer and looked back furiously to Gohan as he spoke once more.

"I don't know where exactly your levels are." he said, "I can just feel it and I know I'm stronger." His frown deepened suddenly as he looked around at them and then directly at Sailor Mercury, "It's strange though. I've never encountered magic like yours. All your attacks have a higher ki level than your own bodies."

Sailor Mercury blushed slightly as she realised Gohan's gaze was directed at her and her alone. She gently closed her compact, and her linked goggles disappeared from across her eyes immediately afterwards. She nodded and smiled weakly at her friend.

"Yes, I noticed that too and I think I know why that is." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I think that, because we each draw our powers from our respective planets, they're more powerful only when we need them than when we're in our resting form as Scouts. You draw your powers and attacks from within yourself, right?" Gohan nodded and she continued more confidently. "Your attacks are more concentrated as pure energy, whereas ours are more specialised to what our elements are linked to due to the environments of our planets." She then turned gently to each of her Scouts to expand on her statement. "Mercurian Water, Marsonian Fire, Jupetrion Thunder, Vensurian Love, Nepturian Sea, Uranian Wind, Human Strength and Lunarian Light."

Gohan nodded to show he understood, and appreciated her explanation a lot. It at least helped him understand why their ki waves seemed to vary so much when he was attacked than when they were resting. Before now, he couldn't see why it wasn't the same as when he had used the same idea in suppressing his energy in the past, to confuse his enemy.

"Well, that explains a lot." Gohan muttered and smile slightly as he looked back to Tuxedo Mask. "So, once you guys have trained with me for a bit more and I think you can handle it, I'll start fighting back."

Tuxedo Mask nodded, but Sailor Uranus continued to look furiously at Gohan. She clenched her fists as the insults of his words were hitting her; he was calling her weak and claiming to be more powerful without even using his full strength. How dare he! Gohan suddenly looked hopefully to the skies, sensing some familiar ki's beginning to approach him.

Noticing him looking up, Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Mask also looked to the sky and, slowly, began to notice some small black dots approaching. But Sailor Uranus took no notice.

"You're only so powerful because of your Saiyan abilities!" she shouted to Gohan, distracting him from the approaching figures in the sky. "If you were as limited as we are when we're humans, then you wouldn't stand a chance against any of us!"

Gohan frowned thoughtfully as he considered this statement before he spoke, gently shaking his head. "No, I've seen what humans can do if they train themselves properly. I've not really used any of my Saiyan abilities yet that can't be applied by humans as well. Besides," he added as an afterthought, smiling brightly at the two men that landed before him, "you're only so powerful because of your planetary magic, right? So, we're kind of in the same boat." He ran forward towards his friends, greeting them happily.

"Hey Gohan!" yelled the first brightly, laughing as he ran forwards.

"Hey kid! Long time no see!" laughed the second and Gohan's eyes shone brightly.

Sailor Uranus growled angrily, her muscles tightening as she clenched her fists even more furiously. Sailor Neptune placed a gentle hand on her clenched fists and smiled, "You should listen to him Uranus. He may be young, but he has the knowledge of battle that is beyond our own."

Sailor Uranus looked very disgruntled at these offending words, but did not argue. She folded her arms angrily over her chest and turned her head away.

"Thanks for coming! We could definitely use your help!" Gohan grinned as he looked on to his old friends, Krillin and Yamcha.

Even though they both given up fighting, Krillin was still one of the best fighters Gohan knew. His attacks were powerful enough to even cut off Freeza's tail, back when they travelled all the way to Namek. And Yamcha had excellent technique and experience in battle and could help explain some of the more difficult manouvers.

But most importantly, they were both human and were a perfect demonstration of the extent to which a human could achieve with the right training.

"Well you didn't sound like you were having too much trouble, but we'll help where we can!" laughed Krillian, casually folding his arms behind his head.

"Uh, Gohan, who're these guys?" Sailor Mars asked with a suspicious look in her eyes.

"What a dream boat!" cooed Sailor Venus, Jupiter and Moon as they adoringly looked at Yamcha's handsome face.

Tuxedo Mask cleared his throat rather loudly at the girls' outburst, with an irritated look on his handsome face. Sailor Moon immediately snapped out of her dreamy state and glued herself to her boyfriends' arm, showering him with compliments. Sailor Uranus and Neptune laughed gently at their Princess, adoring her ditzy behaviour.

"Uh, Gohan, who're they?" Krillian asked quietly, looking over Gohan's shoulder to the Sailor Scouts.

Gohan grinned at his friend before answering, "They're the Sailor Scouts!"

Yamcha's eyes widened and he looked from Gohan to the girls that were stood a few feet away from him, "You mean THE Sailor Scouts?!" he gasped.

Gohan nodded before he frowned, "Yeah and they need some training. We've got a new enemy and they need my help."

Krillin nodded knowingly, "Yeah, I've been sensing some weird ki around lately."

"You mean you can sense ki too?" gasped Sailor Venus, her eyes widening at Krillins statement and giving away the fact that she had been listening to their conversation. She blushed as she realised this, however, Krillin didn't seem to mind. He looked at her with a slightly surprised expression, as though it were out of the ordinary to not sense ki.

"Well yeah, it's something we all can do." he replied before his eyes widened suddenly. "Wait a second! You're Sailor V!" he cried and Sailor Venus grinned brightly, striking a pose and winking at Krillin.

"Yep, that's me! The Sailor Solider of Love and Beauty, I am Sailor Venus, protected by the planet Venus!" she cried.

As if on cue, set off by this statement, the Sailor Soldier's around Sailor Venus began their introductions.

"Protected by the planet Mars, I am the Solider of Love and Fire. I am Sailor Mars!"

"I am the solider of water and intelligence, protected by the planet Mercury, I am Sailor Mercury!"

Krillin and Yamcha seemed to stare with wide eyes and blank expressions. How is one supposed to act in a time like this?

"As the solider of thunder and courage, I am Sailor Jupiter, protected by the planet Jupiter!"

"I am the sailor solider of the skies and flight, Sailor Uranus, protected by the planet Uranus!"

Gohan slapped his forehead, amazed by their continuous theatrics.

"I am Sailor Neptune, the solider of deep waters and embrace, protected by the planet Neptune!"

"HEY! I didn't know we were doing introductions!" Sailor Moon cried, looking very disgruntled at the sudden outburst of her friends. Tuxedo Mask quietly slid over to where Gohan stood with Yamcha and Krillin, while Sailor Moon cleared her throat before she began, "And I am Sailor Moon! The champion of love and justice! I right wrongs and triumph over evil and together-"

"-we are the Sailor Scouts!" the all finished together, each striking a beautiful and defiant fighting stance, as though they were prepared for battle.

Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha and Tuxedo Mask stared at the Scouts for a few moments before Gohan let out an awkward laugh.

"You're not going to join them?" he teased to Tuxedo Mask, who chuckled and shook his head.

"No thanks, I'll introduce myself like that when I have to face the bad guys." he replied to Gohan quietly.

"Looks like that's what we were missing all those years." Yamcha teased, nudging Krillin. "A decent intro!"

The girls groaned at this statement and a light blush graced all of their cheeks.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" demanded Sailor Uranus and Gohan quickly ran forwards, blocking her from approaching his friends too fiercely.

"Don't worry! They're some friends of mine." he said quickly.

"That still doesn't explain why they're here when we're meant to be training." demanded Sailor Mars with a frown.

"Yeah, you said this place would guarantee us privacy." argued Sailor Jupiter.

Gohan quickly waved his hands in front of himself defensively, smiling awkwardly. "Yeah yeah don't worry! I invited them! They're here to help us train!"

"Huh?" the girls chorused, looking to the guys behind Gohan sceptically.

"Are they Saiyans too?" Sailor Venus asked with a confused look and Gohan shook his head.

"No, they're just human. But that's the whole point!" he said and only Sailor Mercury seemed to make a light 'oh' sound at this statement. The rest of the scouts glanced at one another before looking back to Gohan, who quickly decided to elaborate. "All the stuff I've been doing and telling you humans can do too serves no purpose if you're just taking my word on it."

He quickly ran back to his friends and introduced them. "This is Krillin, my dad's oldest and best friend. They grew up together and trained together when they were kids and he helped us defeat one of the most powerful evil villains in the galaxy about 10 years ago."

The Scouts all looked at Krillin with wide eyes and an admiring gaze, making him blush deeply and scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. He laughed awkwardly, "Aw thanks Gohan. That was a while ago though. I can still fight, but I'm not as good as I was. You're way better than me anyway."

Gohan smiled warmly to his friend, "You're still one of the best fighters I know Krillin."

His statement made his friend blush and he smiled bashfully in return.

"And this is Yamcha." Gohan continued, turning back to the Scouts once more. "He was one of the best fighters I knew when I was a kid, but he gave up fighting a long time ago. He's got great technique though, even if he's not that strong." Gohan seemed to say the last point as more of an afterthought, scratching his chin as he thought about Yamcha's achievements in battle. He frowned slightly and absentmindedly ducked as Yamcha aimed to hit him around the head for his introduced.

"Man, you make me sound so lame!" he grumbled as the Scouts giggled at the introduction.

"Ok, well, first things first. Before we can help, we need to see what you've got." Krillin said, as Gohan stood to the sidelines with a big grin on his face. Krillin comfortably rested his fists on his hips as he looked at the Scouts. "Well, there's two ways we can settle that." He said, more to himself than to the Scouts. "Either you can all attack me at once, or I can just go against who the strongest is and see what you can do." Krillin suggested. Gohan frowned at this statement and quickly stepped forward.

"Uh, Krillin? I don't think you'd be able to take them all on at once." He laughed awkwardly and Krillin looked somewhat surprised at Gohan's statement before laughing too.

"Yeah I guess you're right. I don't have that kind of stuff in me anymore." He then turned back to the Scouts, "Ok, who's the strongest?"

Immediately, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Uranus stepped forward. They looked to one another in surprise before grinning and laughing slightly.

"Ok, no problem." laughed Krillin nervously. "Are you two going to attack me together or one at a time?" he asked.

"Well, either way suits us fine." smirked Sailor Uranus.

"You're not allowed to use magic!" Gohan suddenly intervened, eyes widening as he realised what they might be up to. "This is just about the hand to hand combat. Krillin, you can't use your ki attacks and you two can't use your magic."

Krillin's eyebrows rose slightly at Gohan's words but then, with a look of serious concentration, he nodded. The two Scouts smirked at one another before nodding as well.

"Right, then I guess Krillin can probably take you both on." laughed Gohan and wiped the smirks off their faces immediately. They looked furious at his statement and Krillin looked slightly nervous.

"Uh, Gohan?" he laughed nervously before Gohan stepped back, folding his arms across his chest in a comfortable stance.

"I bet he could beat you two with his eyes closed." Gohan winked at Krillin to seemed to sigh, looking to the skies almost as if to say 'why me?' before he closed his eyes and took on a fighting stance. "BEGIN!" Gohan shouted and immediately the two Scouts charged forward, each aiming to punch Krillin in the face.

Krillin used his ki senses to visualise their movements in the air and ducked, dodging them easily.

Sailor Uranus immediately reacted to the movement by trying to knee Krillin in the face, while Sailor Jupiter lost her balance and fell forwards to the ground. Krillin bent backwards and fell to the ground immediately as he felt her movement in the air, narrowly avoiding the collision. He then rolled sideways and jumped back to his feet, avoiding to the additional kick that had been aimed to him from Sailor Jupiter. He made one punch to his left and felt his fist collide with something soft but tough. There was a gasping sound and he knew he had successfully just winded Sailor Jupiter, who had now fallen to her knees and was gasping for breath.

"JUPITER!" screamed the other girls, and Sailor Uranus glared at Krillin in fury.

She ran forwards with a battle cry, fist raised and furiously began to try to land a punch or kick on Krillin. He used her movements in the air to successfully dodge each blow she made and eventually managed to jump back as she stood there, panting for breath.

"Ready to give up?" Krillin asked, taking a fighting stance on once more. Sailor Uranus seemed to growl in fury at him. It was as though he were insulting her even more by simply keeping his eyes closed. She smirked and made a movement to grasp the air around her. Gohan's suddenly frowned angrily as he recognised her movements. Krillin seemed to frown as well as he felt her ki rise dramatically all of a sudden.

"What-" he began but was too late.

"Uranus WORLD SHAKING!" she cried and Krillin's eyes snapped open with a gasp as he felt that powerful energy heading in his direction.

In what could have been considered instantaneous, Gohan appeared in front of his friend and fired a powerful ki blast at the planetary attack. A furious glare pasted across his gentle face as he looked to the Sailor Solider of the Sky.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Yamcha cried from the sidelines, running over to check his old friend was alright. He then looked up to glare at Sailor Uranus.

"You both agreed not to use your powers." Gohan stated, glaring angrily at Sailor Uranus.

"I wouldn't have had to use mine if he wasn't using his." growled the soldier, glaring back furiously.

"He wasn't using any of his powers!" Gohan argued and the Sailor's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"But, no human could evade my attacks like that!" she cried, horrified at the truth of his words. "Especially with his eyes closed!"

Krillin frowned at Sailor Uranus, "There's no need to be a sore loser." He grumbled, "We're only trying to help."

The other Scouts frowned at their friend and Sailor Uranus' fists clenched in irritation at her loss of control.

"Don't worry about her." the musical voice of Sailor Neptune suddenly chimed in, as she stepped forward and took Sailor Uranus' hand in her own to calm her. She smiled at the fighters in front of her kindly and gently, "She's just not used to being beaten."

Gohan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and shot a dark look towards Sailor Uranus before closing his eyes and releasing a calming breath. He opened them again and smiled brightly to the rest of the Scouts.

"Well," he said to them, "I guess I've proved my point. You all clearly rely on your powers too much and not your own skill. How about we pair up and just try some basic techniques? Uh, try and pair up with someone of an equal height so it's a bit fairer?" he said with a small glance at Sailor Moon, who had been eyeing Tuxedo Mask to be her partner and looked suddenly disappointed at Gohan's last words. She paired up with Sailor Mercury instead.

Predictably, Sailor Neptune and Uranus paired up together and Sailor Mars teamed up with Sailor Venus. Sailor Jupiter looked as though she was going to pair up with Tuxedo Mask, but Yamcha quickly offered to be her partner and she agreed with a bright blush on her face. Gohan offered to go toe to toe with Tuxedo Mask again, who seemed more than keen for round 2.

"Right, we're going to start with the basics." Gohan said to them, taking a stance against Krillin, who looked focused and ready to respond to Gohan's manoeuvring for the sake of this demonstration. "Jab, reverse, left hook, side kick, roundhouse kick and spinning reverse kick!" Gohan shouted, as he demonstrated the punch with his left, followed by his right and left again, with the series of kicks. Krillin easily blocked each of these attacks but was knocked back slightly with the final reverse kick and grinned at Gohan afterwards.

"You're growing soft!" he teased and Gohan looked at him in surprise for a moment before laughing.

"No way! I'm just taking it easy on you." he winked and Krillin laughed too, knowing the extreme truth of his words. "Take it slowly to start with." Gohan directed to the Scouts, as he walked back to Tuxedo Mask. "It'd be better for you to get the technique and accuracy right, before you try to focus on the speed." he explained and took up a fighting stance against his friend.

"Am I doing that stuff too or are we just going straight for it?" smirked the future King and Gohan grinned, feeling the excitement for the battle.

"I'll leave it up to you." he said, knowing the result of his words. And with a final glance at the other girls, he shouted a very audible "GO!" and was immediately attacked by Tuxedo Mask.

Krillin walked up and down the pairs of girls, and seemed somewhat surprised at their cooperation. What surprised him even more, however, was how these girls were supposed to be the defenders of the earth when they struggled to even get the attacks right. Though Sailor Uranus and Neptune seemed complete synchronised to one another, and responded well to the other's movement, Sailor Mercury seemed too gentle with her partner as she practiced, and Sailor Venus kept falling over when it came to her kicks. Sailor Mars seemed to manage each step alright, but took it gradually. Krillins eyes had widened and he burst out laughing when he approached Sailor Jupiter and Yamcha. She was bent down with a gentle hand on Yamcha's shoulder, apologising over and over again; whilst Yamcha was knelt on the ground holding his stomach and gasping for air.

"What happened to you?" laughed Krillin and Sailor Jupiter looked at him a bit apologetically.

"Well he told me to give it all I've got..." she said with a bit of a blush and seemed to be playing with her fingers, "But when I kicked him, I kind of accidentally winded him." she muttered and blushed even more deeply as Yamcha groaned from the floor. Krillin just burst out laughing again and knelt next to his friend.

"Man, wait 'til everyone hears you got beat up by a girl!" he sniggered and Yamcha seemed to recover enough to glare at his old pal. Both their eyes widened as Gohan and Tuxedo Mask seemed to pass them in a furious battle of their own. Though, it was clear that Gohan was making no attempt to truly harm his friend. As they passed Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, Krillin's eyes seemed to stare in disbelief at the pair.

"So it was right- no, left- no kick.. AHHH!" Sailor Moon screaming, flaying her arms in a frustrated tantrum, while Sailor Mercury laughed gently and tried to console her. "THIS IS HARDER TO REMEMBER THAN MATH!" screamed the Moon Princess.

Krillin laughed weakly, "Well, there's always the rookie." He muttered to Yamcha as they witness Sailor Mercury reiterate Gohan's instructions.

"I'm just out of practice." Yamcha grumbled, getting to his feet slowly and Krillin looked at him in surprise. Realising that Yamcha must have misunderstood his words, he laughed a bit.

"Yeah right." he teased and Yamcha continued to glare at him.

"Are you sure you're alright Yamcha?" Sailor Jupiter asked, a light blush on her face as she apologised to him again.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He muttered, frowning awkwardly.

"Looks like you've lost your touch to me." Krillin continued to tease with a bright grin and Yamcha glared at him even more.

"Well, I've not really been in training since Vegeta first attacked us. Goku and Gohan were way stronger than me so there was just no point in training." he grumbled and Krillin smiled fondly as he remembered that event, comfortably folding his arms and resting them behind his head.

"Yeah, those were the good ol' days. We actually thought we were as strong as they were." Krillin laughed and Yamcha smiled sadly as they remembered their young friend. "Knowing Goku, he's probably still training up in Other World."

"Yeah, he never gives it a rest." laughed Yamcha, "Even when he's dead. He'll want to be the strongest in Other World."

"Good ol' Goku." smiled Krillin.

"Uh, so... Are we going to train again or, what?" Sailor Jupiter awkwardly interrupted the two friends reminiscing and they both looked back to her quickly, laughing in embarrassment.

"That was a great session!" Sailor Moon cheered between the mouthfuls of food she was shovelling into her mouth with unrelenting speed.

"Yes, I was a bit doubtful at first but it was actually really useful." agreed Sailor Mercury, trying not to look too disgusted at Sailor Moon's terrible table manners.

"Yeah! Did you see me take down Sailor Mars with my reverse kick! She was totally knocked out!" Sailor Venus cheered happily as she too shovelled food into her mouth.

"Thanks for the meal Chichi." Krillin grinned.

"Yeah, it's been so long I forgot how good it is!" cheered Yamcha and Chichi grinned brightly as she brought another plate of fresh rice for her guests, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, if you actually made the effort to visit more often instead of chasing after girls..." Chichi scolded, and left her sentence unfinished as the table burst into laughter and Yamcha blushed brightly, awkwardly muttering useless defences.

"I think we can probably start working on your planet attacks next-" Gohan began, but froze and ducked immediately at the stern voice that interrupted him.

"Gohan," Chichi said with a stern and warning tone, "I hope you're making time for your studies as well as all this training."

"Uhhh..."

"Yes of course!" Sailor Mercury quickly cut in, blushing slightly as she glanced at Gohan. The surprised looks on everyone's face was making her nervous as well. "Um, we're starting a study group for the high school entrance exams. So when we're not training, we're going to be studying very hard." she said quietly and Chichi looked a bit surprised at her words before clapping her hands together with a bright smile.

"That's wonderful! Gohan, why can't you be more focused like the Sailor Scouts!" she folded her arms across her chest and stared down at her son with a stern expression. "Lets' hope that they can be a good influence on you! No more of your rebellious delinquent behaviour like when your father was here."

Gohan laughed nervously before hanging his head and releasing an exasperated sigh, "Yes mom." he muttered and the girls around him giggled.

The girls surrounded Gohan as they stood outside once more after their short break for food, hardly realising that they had been training for a few hours already.

Tuxedo Mask stood on the sidelines with Krillin and Yamcha, watching the attacks.

"So, aren't you going to attack too?" Krillin asked Tuxedo Mask, who looked at him blankly before turning back to the Scouts.

"No, I don't have powers as strong as the girls." he said simply and Yamcha snickered slightly.

"What, aren't you linked to any magic planet too?" he tried to tease but was silenced by one dirty look shot his way from the future King.

"My duty as Tuxedo Mask is to protect the Sailor Scouts and assist them in defending Earth." he said simply, resisting the urge to hit Yamcha. He knew that if he told them he was the guardian of the Earth, they wouldn't believe him. Gohan had already explained about who they thought was the guardian.

"Are you sure about this Gohan?" Sailor Mercury asked nervously.

"Yeah, don't worry." He grinned, taking on a fighting stance.

"But, our attacks combined are pretty dangerous. You sure you can handle it?" Sailor Venus asked with a smug grin and on her face, as she too stood ready.

"Yeah. Hit me with your most powerful attack!" Gohan encouraged and an eager smirk graced the face of Sailor Uranus.

They Sailor Scouts all looked at one another before nodding and taking one another's hands. Gohan looked slightly surprised at this movement and faltered slightly. He was expecting them to target him with their individual attacks at the same time. But instead, he could feel their ki rising together, as though they were one being and his eyes widened as he saw them beginning to glow the respective colour to their uniforms.

"Uranus power."

"Neptune power."

"Jupiter power."

"Mars power."

"Venus power."

"Mercury power."

Each Sailor Scout whispered a call to their respective planets as their Scout symbols appeared on their foreheads and their powers grew stronger than Gohan had ever felt before. His eyes widened slightly as he saw Sailor Moon beginning to glow the brightest. The crescent moon on her forehead began to shine and she whispered "Cosmic Moon Power."

Each of the scouts began to glow in an almost blinding light and, if Gohan couldn't sense their ki, then he may have been obliterated by their attack. He immediately transformed into a Super Saiyan as the eyes of the Scouts immediately snapped open and, together, they cried "Scout Planet Power!"

A combination of their planetary colours seemed to form a beam of energy that rose into the air before directing itself at the young Saiyan. Cupping his hands to hips, he fiercely began to draw together his energy.

"Ka me-"

It was getting closer.

"-ha me-"

It was getting stronger as it continued to draw energy from the Scouts. It was almost upon him.

"-HA!" Gohan shouted, releasing the fierce ki blast to counter the Scouts most powerful combined attack. Immediately, there seemed to be a struggle for power over who would dominate. The Scouts looked determined to win, but Gohan smirked and released a battle cry as he poured more of his own energy into the blast and immediately overpowered them, eventually obliterating their attack and sending the rest of his energy into nothingness above them.

The girls around him let out a gasp and collapsed to their knees, gripping the ground and panting for breath. Tuxedo Mask immediately rushed forward to check Sailor Moon. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and she leant against him for support, panting for breath and trying to recover from the mass of energy she had suddenly lost.

"He.. he-" Sailor Mars stuttered to grasp what happened.

"He deflected it." Sailor Venus gasped quietly.

"He destroyed it!" growled Sailor Uranus, slamming her fist on the ground furiously. Sailor Neptune crawled over to her partner and hugged her in an attempt to calm her fury without words, still struggling to catch her breath.

"That was a very powerful attack." Gohan nodded to them, de-transforming from his Super Saiyan state. "But it was just energy." He frowned at them.

Sailor Jupiter looked up at him with a furious glare in her eyes, "Yeah, what do you expect?"

"Your attack was just energy too!" argued Sailor Mars, there was a hurt look glimmering in her eyes. She seemed unable to truly believe how their most powerful attack could have been destroyed so easily.

Gohan sat on the ground beside the Scouts, crossing his legs as he looked to them. "Yeah, but mine was different." he knew he wasn't explaining his point particularly well. Sailor Moon seemed to observe Gohan with a thoughtful gaze and Sailor Mercury looked very confused. He sighed as a puzzled look crossed his face; he scratched his cheek in thought before he spoke again. "Ok... Your attack was energy, and so was mine. But that's it. Your attack was just energy coming from your planet, it wasn't coming from within yourselves. You're not using your hearts when you attack." he frowned at them as he spoke.

"How dare you!" shouted Sailor Uranus, jumping to her feet in fury. Her gloved fists were clenched tightly and she seemed to be shaking with anger. "You have no idea what we've been through; the battles and enemies we have over come! You can't possibly know whether or not we're attacking from the heart!" she spat at him and Gohan got to his feet, unafraid by the furious Solider of the Sky.

He glared at her but made no movement as she took a fighting stance on once more, he could feel her ki rising rapidly with her fury, just like a Saiyan. Despite having lost so much energy already in that attack, her emotions were enabling her to access a reserve that she probably wasn't even aware of herself. Gohan had the sneaking suspicion that, like he had done so in the past, she wasn't even aware of this energy building up within herself.

"I know when my opponent has the potential to be strong and I can feel your energy. There was no heart in that attack. It was just energy and power, which is never strong enough to overcome any of your opponents." Gohan argued back, with a steady but dangerous tone to his voice.

Dare he tempt his suspicion? Gohan couldn't resist the urge.

"I'm amazed that you've managed to defeat anyone in the past, if that's your most powerful attack. You couldn't even handle a Super Saiyan." He arrogantly sneered. "And I wasn't even in my most powerful form. The enemy is meant to be even more powerful than that! How do you expect to defend the Earth at all if you're so weak, let alone reach your 'Eternal' form?"

Sailor Mercury frowned suddenly, looking surprised at Gohan's words and manner. He wasn't like this normally. Krillin and Yamcha seemed to notice the sudden change in Gohan and glanced at one another worriedly, _what was he up to?_

"You're a Saiyan, our powers are different from you!" growled Sailor Uranus, slowly beginning to glow as her ki began to increase. The eyes of her fellow Sailor Soldiers widened.

"Yeah, you're right. I earned my powers." Gohan spat as he continued to glare at Sailor Uranus, "You just inherited these magical abilities and didn't even bother to learn how to use them properly. You're not going to be any good against an enemy if the power of the Solar System couldn't even defeat a Super Saiyan. You'd be useless against me just on your own-"

"ENOUGH!" shouted Sailor Uranus, glowing brighter than she had ever done in the past. "YOU WILL INSULT US NO LONGER!" she shouted, raising her hands into the air above her head. Gohan could feel her ki rise dramatically and the glowing energy around her body focused into her hands before a bright ball of energy appeared. "SPACE TURBULANCE!" she suddenly screamed, and the ki-like energy in her hands was released as a series of beams that struck Gohan very suddenly.

It was so unexpected; Gohan didn't have time to react and was hit head on. The rest of the Scouts stared on in amazement at this new power and, as soon as she had managed to begin, the bright light of the attack faded and Sailor Uranus fell to her knees, gasping for breath. She stared at her hands with wide eyes, a clear look of shock on her face.

"What... what **was** that?" whispered Sailor Neptune, staring at her partner with indescribable shock.

Sailor Uranus just continued to stare at her hands; speechless.

"That was brilliant!" cried Gohan, jumping up to his feet once he'd recovered from the initial attack. His expression was beyond delighted and he seemed ridiculously excitable. "That was your most powerful attack yet! Look, it burned my shirt!"

"You seem a bit excited about ruining your shirt." Sailor Mars muttered and Gohan laughed embarrassedly.

"Sorry about that stuff I said." Gohan quickly apologised, but couldn't hide his bright grin. Sailor Uranus looked up at Gohan, shock still evident on her face. He grinned his signature bright and innocent Son grin, "I could sense your ki getting higher when you were getting angry and I wanted to see what would happen."

Sailor Mercury's eyes seemed to widen in realisation, but Sailor Jupiter frowned angrily.

"You shouldn't have done that!" she growled, "There're better ways of accessing her powers than by getting her angry!"

Gohan just couldn't hide his grin as he turned to Sailor Jupiter, shaking his head, "But you see, there isn't. The first time I became a Super Saiyan, it was because I was angry at myself for not being strong enough to protect my friends when they needed me. And the first time I hit the next stage, Cell had just killed a dear friend of mine. And I was angry." His grin seemed to fade slightly as he recalled the fight, "I wanted to punish Cell. But I began to lose my humanity with that power..." Quickly shaking his head, he grinned back at his friends once more, though it seemed a bit forced. "But this proves it! You guys access your powers based on your emotions. We just need to..." he suddenly trailed off as his eyes wondered to a figure that was stood a few feet away from the Scouts and directly ahead of him.

"Nikiko, what're you doing here?" Sailor Moon asked in surprise.

"I'm here to train with Son Gohan, Sailor Moon." She replied, smiling sweetly before bowing at the Moon Princess.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey Gohan!" giggled a couple of girls as they passed the young Saiyan on his way to study hall.

Gohan looked surprised for a moment before smiling awkwardly and waving in acknowledgement. He wasn't even sure if he knew them or not. How did they know him?

"Hello Son Gohan." spoke a silky voice from his left as he entered the classroom. Immediately a bright blush rose to Gohan's innocent face and he smiled nervously.

"H-hey Nikiko." He greeted, smiling nervously at the beautiful girl. She gazed at him with an affectionate glimmer in her beautiful eyes and Gohan felt as though he was under some sort of trance.

"Gohan!" he heard another voice call, snapping him out of the pseudo spell he had been under and blinked, looking towards the voice. He smiled and waved at the human forms of the Sailor Scouts from the Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus. They waved to him and beckoned him to join them and he nodded, before looking back to Nikiko.

"Do you-" he began, as he was about to invite her to join him with his friends but she was gazing at him with a look that made his voice catch in his throat.

What was going on with him? Surely this sort of a reaction wasn't normal?

She smiled sweetly at him as she continued to gaze into his eyes, "I really enjoyed our training session last night, Son Gohan." She spoke with silky smoothness in her voice and Gohan blushed again, smiling awkwardly. "You are a wonderful teacher." She continued.

He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, laughing slightly. "Well, you were a great stu-" he was suddenly cut off as Nikiko kissed his cheek sweetly. He froze; eyes wide and his entire face blushed the brightest shade of red.

There was a sound of scuffling and muffled noises that Gohan didn't seem to have the mental capability to place at this moment. Everything had gone fuzzy.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?" hissed Serena, as her shriek of excitement and surprise had been muffled by the quick reactions of the princess of thunder. "I TOLD you she had a thing for him!" giggled Serena and Mina frowned, scratching her chin.

"No you didn't! You said Gohan had a thing for Nikiko!"

Serena paused for a moment as she thought and then waved it off, laughing, "Either way! That's so cute!" she squealed.

"Serena!" scolded Lita and when Serena silenced suddenly, she looked at Lita with surprise Lita's stern face directed her to Amy, who was sat in silence, head down and staring at her hands.

"Amy..." Mina cooed, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Are you going to be alright?" she asked gently and Amy jumped slightly, looking up at the unexpected contact from her friend.

She looked down again quickly. "I'm fine." She said quietly and looked up at her friends with a brave smile. "I knew he didn't feel that way about me..." she sighed, glancing back to Gohan. "But, at least he's happy." She watched as he was now holding Nikiko's hand and being led to the other end of the classroom to sit with her. There was something strange about the look in his eyes as he gazed at Nikiko, and she seemed to be smiling with a serene air of grace. Amy narrowed her eyes at this for a moment before her attention was drawn back to her friends.

"Oh Amy," Serena cooed, smiling sweetly at her friend, "if he doesn't see how wonderful you are, then that's his loss. There's obviously someone out there who's better for you and this is just a way of getting rid of the ones who aren't." She smiled gently and Amy looked surprised at her considered words before smiling in return with a brave nod.

"I suppose you're right, but I feel like their relationship is very sudden." She frowned thoughtfully in the direction of the newly formed couple. "And it doesn't seem like Gohan to do something like that."

"Well, love makes people do weird things they wouldn't normally do." justified Lita, folding her arms behind her head comfortably.

"Love?" Amy questioned quietly, frowning sadly and Lita's eyes widened.

"Love? Did I say love? HAHAHAH I just err... No way! It's way too soon for love! HA HA HA!" she quickly said, laughing very loudly and nervously; clearly overdoing it a bit in her attempt to recover from her slip of the tongue.

Amy continued to grow more upset as the day wore on, though she put on a brave face in front of her friends. But their relationship seemed to escalate very quickly, given that they had only known one another for a little over a day. Something just didn't feel right about the whole thing to Amy, but she knew that if she spoke her mind to her friends then they would just dismiss it for jealousy.

Amy sighed as she began to head towards the library, burying her head into revision books once more. Instead of thinking about Gohan, perhaps she could try to distract herself with focusing on their new enemy? Not to mention how little studying she'd managed to get done for the entrance exams! They weren't that far away and with all this extra stuff going on, where was she meant to—

"Oh sorry!" Amy quickly apologised out of reflex, stumbling backwards as she knocked into something so solid, it felt like a brick wall. Perhaps reading while she was walking wasn't the best idea? Collisions seemed to occur far too much when she did so. Her eyes widened as she felt a dark energy emanating from that collision.

"You should watch where you're going." glared Gohan, fists clenched in anger.

"Gohan?" Amy's eyes turned thoughtful as she gazed at her friend, hurt by his harsh tone.

His eyes widened and he seemed to shake his head slightly, smiling apologetically at his friend. He held his head, "Sorry about that Amy, I don't know what came over me." He leant down and picked up Amy's fallen book and handed it to her with a bright smile. "Here, you dropped this."

She took it with a gentle smile and a light blush on her face. He seemed to be back to his old self.

"Are you still coming over for training today?" he grinned and she nodded, smiling brightly.

"I wouldn't dream of missing it. So long as we actually make some time to study this time!" she giggled and Gohan laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"I make no promises about that." He winked and grinned.

"There you are!" cooed the beautiful new student, Nikiko, as she gently took hold of Gohan's arm. He looked surprised at a moment by her gesture and then that same look seemed to cross his face... as though he wasn't really there.

"I'll see you later!" smiled Gohan in a very dreamy manner and began to walk away with Nikiko once more.

Amy didn't have long to ponder this quick meeting before her communicator began to beep rapidly. She flicked it open quickly and was met with the face of Sailor Mars.

"Guys! We've got some big trouble! Get to the Hikawa Shrine! Hurry! I'll try to hold them off." Mars shouted into the communicator; Amy could hear explosions in the background. Amy nodded to the screen before pocketing her communicator. She was about to rush off to find the other Scouts, but glanced back in the direction Gohan had just left.

Should she go call him?

They might need his help.

No, he's destroyed the other monsters they faced. The Sailor Scouts can surely handle this one.

With a fierce look of determination, Amy ran towards the entrance of the school and saw Serena, Mina and Lita running towards her as well. Together, they ran as quickly as they could towards Rei's temple, transforming into their Scout forms as they ran.

"MARS! We're here to help!" cried Sailor Moon, appearing beside her friend, gasping for breath.

"About time you guys got here!" grumbled the beautiful priestess.

"HEY! WE GOT HERE AS FAST AS WE COULD!" Sailor Moon shouted back angrily. "So ungrateful!" she grumbled before finally taking in the sight before here.

"What IS this thing?" gasped Sailor Venus, staring at the flaming remains of the Hikawa Shrine.

"I don't know, but this thing is too fast!" gasped Sailor Mars as the forest beside her began to erupt into flames.

"Mercury Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury quickly cried, extinguishing the flames with difficulty. Tapping her earring, the computer goggles appeared across her eyes and she began to scan the area. "It's strange. I'm getting really random energy signals from all over the shrine. It might take some time, but I think I can synchronise them to locate the source." She explained as she began to type away furiously on her compact computer.

"Oh you won't need that." snickered a silky and disgusting voice that sent chills down the spines of the Scouts.

"I'm getting major nega-vibes guys!" warned Sailor Mars. "But I can't sense their source." She desperately closed her eyes, placing the palms of her hands together in a praying position. Trying to tap into her planetary powers to find the source of this destruction.

"We need to stop this thing from getting into the city!" Sailor Venus warned, as she realised the attacks around them were moving further and further from the centre of the Temple.

"You'll never find me Sailor Scouts!" that voice cried, "Now surrender your pure souls and the Silver Imperium Crystal!" laughed the voice.

"THERE!" shouted Sailor Mercury, pointing to the air and the creature seemed taken aback, gasping as she was spotted. Their eyes widened at what they saw.

"Mars Flame Sniper!" cried Sailor Mars, desperately attacking the spot Sailor Mercury pointed to.

There was a high pitches scream as the Scouts witnessed the arrow make contact with an invisible object. The object seemed to erupt into flames, white eyes being the only things visible amongst the mass of fire.

"You can't destroy me that easily Scouts!" laughed the creature, spinning and sending a wave of flaming arrows at the Scouts.

"Mercury Bubbles Freeze!" cried Sailor Mercury, freezing the arrows in their place before they could hurt them. The creature growled in fury and gasped as it was suddenly captured in a magical chain of hearts, stemming from Sailor Venus. It seemed to materialise before them after being physically disarmed. The creature seemed to flash a variety of different colours, unable to settle as its' cloaking abilities were disabled.

"Now Sailor Moon!" cried Sailor Mars, but before Sailor Moon could even move, the chain holding the creature snapped.

"Surrender your pure souls!" it cried, spinning and sending copies of the Venus Love Chain around Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus. They screamed and fell as they were suddenly trapped.

"NO!" cried Sailor Moon and screamed as the creature grabbed her around the throat, laughing menacingly.

"My master will be most pleased." It snickered to itself, making a move to grab the broach attached to the princess' chest. The creature suddenly gasped and withdrew its' hand, dropping Sailor Moon to the ground as a rose seemed to embed itself deeply within its hand. "Who dares?!" gasped the creature, pulling the rose out and holding their hand tenderly to its chest. Sailor Moon coughed and gasped for air, placing her hand gently on her throat to check for damage.

"Sailor Moon, are you alright?" cried Tuxedo Mask as he threw magical roses in the direction of the trapped Scouts, breaking the mimicked powers of the Venus Love Chain. "Quickly!" he cried as Sailor Moon got to her feet, nodding weakly.

Quickly drawing out her magical sceptre, Sailor Moon faced the monster.

"No!" it cried, drawing back.

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" the warrior cried quickly, destroying the creature before her. "You've been moon dusted!" she said with a satisfied grin. "You guys alright?" she asked, turning to her friends and they got to their feet, nodding and rubbing the area that the Love Chain had held them down.

"How did that thing know our attacks?" gasped Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury frowned.

"It seemed to absorb the energy from our attacks and reproduce it." She explained and her fellow Scouts frowned.

"There've been attacks all over the city." Tuxedo Mask informed them, returning to his resting form as Darien.

"What!" gasped the girls, having also returned to their resting forms.

"How had we not heard about it?!" cried Rei and Darien shook his head.

"Sailor Uranus and Neptune seemed to handle those fine by the time I got there." He explained, but a sudden troubled look crossed his mind. "But the number of people that were attacked before they could stop it was disturbing. They were alive." He looked away, a furious and troubled look on his handsome face. "But it was like they were just shells of themselves. They were there, but there was nothing inside them; like they were missing something."

"Like they were missing their souls?" Serena whispered, holding her hands to her mouth. Her bright blue eyes were wide in horror as she thought of all these people who were suffering because of these attacks. "We have to stop them!" she cried and Darien looked at her with a sad and thoughtful gaze.

"We're trying Serena. But we don't know anything about our new enemy. All we can do right now is try to prepare for the battle ahead and try to stop these monsters whenever they show up." Mina said, placing a comforting hand on the Princess' shoulder.

"But, why would someone steal your soul?" the Moon Princess asked quietly, looking down sadly and holding her hands to her chest. It was as though she was in pain for all the people who were now wondering around the city, an empty shell of who they once were.

"We'll just have to train even harder with Gohan so we can stop these things before they hurt any other people!" cried Rei with a furious look of determination. The rest nodded in agreement and, silently began to head back.

"Do you think we'll be able to restore the souls of all those people?" Serena asked Darien quietly, holding his hand as they walked a few paces ahead of their friends.

The Prince squeezed her hand comfortingly and smiled gently at her, "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find a way."

Serena nodded at Darien, looking down to the ground again as she worriedly thought about their new enemy.

"It copied your attacks too?" gasped Amara as the girls just finished telling their fellow Scouts and Gohan about the enemies' new minion. She clenched her fist with a spiteful and furious expression. "It attacked Michelle with my World Shaking."

The group had gathered, once again, at Mount Paozu for another training session with Gohan. However, they were yet to begin as they informed one another of the days' encounters with their enemy.

"How did you defeat it?" gasped Serena, eyes wide as she pictured her friends being hurt by their own attacks.

"It couldn't create my space sword blaster." She explained with a bit of a smirk.

Amy frowned thoughtfully as she heard this. "It appears as though they can reproduce only energy attacks. But when your energies were channelled through your magical weapons, like your space sword and Sailor Moons' kaleidomoon scope, it couldn't recreate them because it didn't have a way to recreate the object. Since replicating the attacks was how the monsters seemed to defend themselves as well, they were destroyed by the attack."

"Good thinking Amy. That makes a lot of sense." Nodded Darien, but then frowned again. "But does that mean that the rest of our attacks are useless? Some of our most powerful attacks are energy based."

"Yeah, all of Gohan's attacks are just energy attacks." Mina added, glancing at him with a grin.

He pouted in faux irritation, "Not true. I can fight too."

"Not if you can't see them like we couldn't." Lita pointed out and Gohan frowned.

Amy shook her head before Gohan could respond, "No, I actually think Gohan's fighting may be more important now that the enemy is becoming more difficult to face. If we can't see them, but they are able to attack us, Gohan's ability to sense ki would surely be an advantage." She tapped her chin as she thought for a few moments.

Gohan sent a smug look in Lita's direction, and she immaturely stuck her tongue out at him. Darien frowned as he observed Gohan's behaviour.

It was different.

"Though, I have a feeling that the enemy is only going to get more powerful." Amy finally said and Serena looked panicked.

"What do you mean Amy?" Rei asked and Amy glanced quickly to Gohan before looking down with a sad expression.

"I think I understand." Michelle said, smiling weakly at her friend and then looking to Gohan. "You defeated those other creatures so easily; the enemy clearly spent time making them more powerful and less vulnerable to energy attacks."

Gohan's eyes widened at her words. "You mean, it's my fault that they're stronger than before?"

"That explains why there haven't been any attacks for a while." Darien said and the other girls seemed to nod in agreement.

"So these things they're sending, it's kind of like when we fought Pharaoh 90?" Serena said and the girls looked at her in confusion. Darien, however, smiled as he seemed to understand his beloved better than anyone else.

"Yeah, seems like it." He agreed, "But I think it's only going to get tougher. Especially since they know about the Silver Imperium Crystal." he added, remembering the words of the creature as it tried to steal Sailor Moon's transformation broach.

"Seems like they don't know about the Golden Crystal yet though." grinned Mina with a wink. "We still got that up our sleeve!" she paused for a moment, "Or, in Darien's body." She corrected and the girls laughed.

Darien smiled awkwardly, blushing slightly and Gohan looked confused as he gazed from Mina to Darien.

"What's the Golden Crystal?" Gohan asked, though his voice seemed slightly deeper and his expression suddenly became very serious. Darien frowned as he observed this change in the young Saiyan.

"It's kind of like the Silver Imperium Crystal, but golden." Lita seemed to explain rather lamely, making the group stare at her with very unimpressed expressions. She laughed in embarrassment and blushed slightly.

"It's a powerful crystal that stems from the Earth." explained Darien, "Each planet has its' own power crystal and these are gifted and protected by the guardian of the planet. I'm the guardian of Earth, so I control the golden crystal, just like Serena is the guardian of the Moon and controls the silver imperium crystal."

Gohan nodded, saying nothing.

"My crystal always attracts trouble." Serena said quietly, looking down sadly and placing a hand protectively over the broach attached to her uniform.

"That's because there's some power hungry fools in this world who don't know when to quit." grumbled Amara and Serena smiled weakly.

"Serena, where there's light, there is always going to be darkness. But you can't let the darkness overpower you. We need to make sure we shine our light bright enough to overpower the darkness and keep it at bay. That's why you're the chosen protector of the silver crystal. You use it for good and to protect the Earth and its' people and the purity and love in your heart and soul makes the crystal shine so brightly." Rei said boldly with a meaningful look in her eyes, "As Sailor Mars, I will do everything in my power with the Mars guardian crystal to help you defeat this enemy."

The other scouts nodded, each placing a hand over their chests where their crystals rested within them and bowed their heads slightly to Serena. Her eyes widened slightly in surprised as she was slightly taken aback by their gesture but then she smiled gently at her friends and bowed her head in return.

"I promise all of you, I will do everything in my power to protect you and our world."

"You won't be able to protect this world for very long princess." Gohan smirked, a menacing and disturbing tone in his voice. Serena stared at him in shock, eyes wide at his words. The Scouts looked at Gohan very suddenly and Amara took an immediate defensive stance.

"What was that?" she questioned threateningly, almost daring him to repeat his words.

Gohan looked at them with a surprised expression, unaware how his words had had such an impact on the protectors of the Earth. He laughed and scratched the back of his head, "I meant that if we don't get on with training then we're not going to get very far with protecting the Earth." He winked at them, "After all, we still have to try to get you all in your eternal forms."

Serena seemed to stare at him thoughtfully for a moment before smiling and nodding. She looked to her other Scouts and, with a determined nod, they each raised their hands into the air and transformed; Darien similarly transformed into Tuxedo Mask. Gohan smirked as he observed the Scouts before closing his eyes and powering up to a Super Saiyan.

Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mercury seemed to continue to observe Gohan with a thoughtful gaze as he demonstrated some more sparring techniques. He seemed different. _But perhaps it was just because he was happier with Nikiko? _Sailor Mercury was struggling to focus as these strange thoughts clouded her mind.

"Sailor Uranus, I want you to attack me like you did last time." Gohan requested with a bright grin and she stared at him for a moment, eyes widening at the request.

"But-" she looked down as she clenched her fists, "I don't think I can." She said quietly, disappointed in her own ability and feeling useless.

"What do you mean you don't think you can?!" gasped Sailor Moon, looking horrified. "You haven't lost your powers like last time have you?!"

"Sailor Moon, calm down! If you use your eyes you'll notice she still transformed." Sailor Mars grumbled and Sailor Moon paused her panic for a moment before laughing awkwardly.

"Oh yeah." She laughed as her friends seemed to sigh in exasperation. This was their future queen?

Gohan frowned at her words. "You did it once, so you can do it again." He said simply.

Sailor Uranus glared at him, "I don't know how I did it last time. I just happened. I don't know if I can do it again."

"You haven't even tried." Gohan countered, "Now you've access that power, it just takes practice to learn to access it at will. You won't have to get angry every time you want to use it."

"Is anger really the only way to unlock our powers?" Sailor Moon asked, looking concerned at this concept.

Gohan looked at her in surprise, "How else would you access your powers?"

She entwined Tuxedo Masks' fingers with her own and looked at him with adoration before turning back to Gohan with a gentle smile. "When I've fought my enemies in the past, I defeated them with the strength and love from my friends and my will to protect them helped me control the power in the silver crystal."

"If you have faith in your own abilities, then you can learn to use them through purer methods. Anger will only create more destructive power and might be too dangerous when we're using the silver crystal." Tuxedo Mask added.

Gohan glared at them furiously and Sailor Mercury gasped as she looked at his eyes. For a moment, Mercury was certain she had seen white lightening flash within them.

"You asked me to teach you to fight and I'm teaching you what I know. If you don't like I won't bother." He said fiercely, turning away from them and walking towards the forests.

"Gohan!" Sailor Mercury called to him, looking very worried.

"Now you're just being pathetic." Sailor Uranus said, looking very unimpressed. Her eyes widened suddenly as a furious rush of wind swept past them. "I can feel some ill omens in the wind. Something is very wrong."

"The waves are growing restless." Sailor Neptune whispered with a nod, closing her eyes as she felt the movement of the sea.

"Don't take any notice of them, Son Gohan." a silky voice spoke as he reached the edge of the forest, making the girls gasp in surprise. "They don't realise the true potential of the power they poses." The voice continued to purr sweetly to him. Sailor Mercury could see familiar hazel eyes gazing at her through the trees before they seemed to disappear with the young Saiyan.

Without a second thought, she ran after Gohan, calling out to him desperately.

"MERCURY!" The other Sailor Scouts gasped and ran after her.

"Gohan!" Sailor Mercury called, desperately looking left and right as she searched for her friend. She could hear her fellow Scouts calling for her in the distance, but had already run too in to stop looking for Gohan. "Gohan! Where are you?" she tried calling out again, growing nervous as her surroundings seemed to grow darker and the woodland grew thicker.

"Looking for me?" a voice suddenly spoke from Mercury's left, making her yelp in surprise and jump back slightly.

"Gohan!" she cried happily, "You shouldn't have left like that. We didn't mean to upset you." she said, gazing at him with gentle and caring eyes. He seemed to be hidden amongst the surrounding darkness.

He remained silent.

"Please don't be mad at us." she continued to speak, looking down with a slightly blush when she next spoke. "I know it probably sounds a bit silly to a warrior like you, but our powers are sourced differently to yours and we have to access them using the purest methods we know. With a pure heart, mind and soul, we can harness the true power of our planets."

She looked up very suddenly as she saw a twinkling light and gasped. Her eyes widened and she screamed at what she saw. It was as though some creature was trying to break from and was erupting from Gohan's body, ripping it into hundreds of pieces before her very eyes.

"Mercury!" she could hear her fellow Scouts calling out to her, obviously worried from her scream. But she couldn't find it in her voice to call out to them. She was stuck, staring horrified at the remains of Gohan's body.

"I must have your pure soul!" the creature suddenly cried, smirking at Sailor Mercury as it was surrounded by a blue aura. "The power and soul of Mercury belongs to my master!" it cackled and fired an ice beam in her direction.

"MERCURY! WATCH OUT!" a voice cried and she was suddenly pushed out of the way by Sailor Jupiter, who was hit full blast by the attack and was instantly encased in an ice statue.

"JUPITER!" Mercury cried out in horror. She looked to the monster fiercely. "You're going to pay for that!" she threatened and the creature just laughed. "What have you done with Gohan?!" she cried and the creature just laughed once more, firing another ice beam.

This time, she ducked and dived out of the way, gracefully returning to her feet and readying her attack. "Mercury Aqua Illusion!" she cried but gasped as the creature seemed to spin and absorb her attack. "Oh no! I forgot that my energy attacks won't work!" The creature seemed to cackle menacingly as it fired the replicated aqua illusion attack at its creator.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Sailor Venus cried, as the rest of the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask seemed to finally appear beside Sailor Mercury.

"NO WAIT-" Tuxedo Mask cried but it was too late, Sailor Venus had sent an energy attack and the creature cackled once more and spun on the spot, absorbing it's power easily.

The girls screamed as they attempted to dodge the combined attacks of Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury that were being showered by the creature. Tuxedo Mask began to fire magical roses at the creature, embedding themselves deep within its body and the creature cried out in pain.

"You'll pay for that Prince!" the creature threatened and Tuxedo Masks' eyes widened. How did they know he was the Prince?

"Now's your chance Sailor Moon!" he called quickly and she nodded, withdrawing her kaleidomoon scope.

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" she cried and the creature screamed in pain and disintegrated before their eyes.

"JUPITER!" Mercury called out, gasping horrified at her friend who was encased in an icy prison. It hadn't released her, despite the creature being destroyed.

"Stand back." Sailor Uranus warned and Sailor Mercury stepped away.

"Uranus Space Sword Blaster!" she cried and stabbed at the ice with her sword. The impact seemed to be enough to break the full block and Sailor Jupiter coughed and gasped for air, falling to the floor as she was suddenly freed.

"Jupiter!" Sailor Moon and Mercury cried out happily, hugging their friend. The other Scouts smiled at the reunion.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Sailor Mercury said, tears in her eyes as she pulled away from hugging her friend and smiled at her sweetly.

"What happened to the monster?" Sailor Jupiter asked, having regained the ability to breathe regularly once more.

"It got moon dusted!" winked Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter smiled.

"Took you long enough." she teased and Sailor Moon pouted.

"Hey, did you find Gohan?" Sailor Venus asked, smiling at Sailor Mercury with a cheeky wink. But her smile suddenly dropped as she noticed her friends' worried expression. "Amy?"

"I think something's happened to Gohan." Sailor Mercury said quietly, looking in the direction where the creature had first appeared. Her memory wouldn't stop replaying that horrific sight of his body being ripped apart as a monster emerged from it.

"What!" gasped the Scouts and Sailor Mercury nodded.

"That thing was just pretending to be Gohan. Something must have happened to him! We have to find him!" she said, looking desperately at Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon looked slightly taken aback at this new information but, with a determined look on her face, she nodded at her friend.

"Don't worry, we'll find him."

"It's not like he can't protect himself." winked Sailor Jupiter but her smile faded as she noticed Sailor Mercury's expression. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled gently, "Don't worry. He'll be fine."

Sailor Mercury nodded, getting to her feet and tapping her earring and scanning the area for Gohan's energy signal. Perhaps if she thought like Gohan, using his unique ki waves, she would be able to track him down by following their wave history?

After several minutes of typing and walking in circles, Sailor Mercury suddenly gasped. "I got the signal! This way." She said and began to lead them deeper into the forest.

* * *

A/N: Thank you soo much for your patience with these updates! I'll be updating a bit more regularly now that it's the Christmas holidays and I've gotten my coursework done =] I wanted to make this chapter longer, but I decided that I'll make a quick update tonight and a better and longer update within the next couple of days =] Hope you've all enjoyed the chapter and thank you so much for your reviews! It's really kept me motivated!


	14. Chapter 14

"Mercury, how much further?" panted Sailor Moon, "We've been wondering around here for hours!"

"Calm down Sailor Moon, it's hardly been 30 minutes." grumbled Sailor Mars; her irritation with their leader was very evident.

"REALLY?! It feels like we've been here for way longer!" gasped Sailor Moon, laughing slightly at her disorientation.

Sailor Mercury continued to tap desperately on her computer screen, frowning and growing more anxious at the lack of results. The signal was growing stronger, but its' direction became more disorientated. It was as though Gohan's ki was surrounding them, rather than sourced from a specific location. Mercury knew that this was the enemies' doing, but her brilliant mind was clouded with worry for her friend, making it difficult to overcome the interference.

"Are you alright Sailor Mercury?" Sailor Venus asked, placing a comforting hand on her friends' shoulder. She smiled gently at the worried expression that faced her, "Don't worry. Gohan can take care of himself. He's been in tougher spots than this, I'm sure of it. We'll bust him out in no time!" she winked and Sailor Mercury smiled weakly.

She wasn't sure whether or not to tell them... Were they lost?

"Argh! It's no use!" Sailor Mercury cried in frustration, snapping her compact shut. "I can't locate the source of his energy." she sighed weakly and slid to her knees, a sad expression gracing her beautiful face. "He's in trouble... And there's nothing we can do to help him." she whispered quietly, her hands clenching into fists as she furiously tried to control her emotions.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked up to see the sweet smile of Sailor Neptune.

"I know you're worried about him, Mercury. But we all care about Gohan and we need your help to find him." she said gently.

"I'm sure he's thinking of you as well Mercury." added Sailor Moon with a gentle smile, "How else would you be able to feel that he's in trouble? When you care about someone, you create a connection." Tuxedo Mask put a gentle hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder and she looked up at her lover, smiling affectionately. The connection between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask was living proof of her words.

"You're letting your emotions cloud your judgement, Mercury." Sailor Uranus said calmly, looking around the area suspiciously. "You need to channel you powers and focus on the task at hand."

Sailor Mercury closed her eyes and let out a steadying breath. They were right; she couldn't give up on Gohan. She had to figure out a way to get past the enemies' interference waves.

"Sorry to put a downer on things, but, do you here that?" Sailor Mars suddenly asked.

The Scouts and Tuxedo Mask fell silent as they strained their ears. In the distance, they could hear grunting and battle cries, as well as rough movement within the air.

"What... is that?" Sailor Jupiter asked the group quietly, frowning.

Tuxedo Mask knelt down and placed his hands on the ground, closing his eyes and searching for the source of those sounds. He took Sailor Moon's hand in his own and began to project the image he was seeing to her through his telepathic touch. Sailor Moon gasped, making all the Scouts face her suddenly.

"What?!" asked Sailor Venus, "What did you see?"

"Gohan..?" Sailor Moon almost whispered; her eyes still wide with shock at what she was seeing in her minds' eye. "What is he doing?"

"You can see Gohan?" asked Sailor Uranus in surprise.

"Where is he? What's happening Sailor Moon?" Sailor Mercury asked desperately, unable to hide her worry and need for knowledge.

"He's close." Tuxedo Mask said, getting to his feet again and letting go of his hold on Sailor Moon's hand. "This way." He said suddenly and began to run left of where the group had been stood.

Without hesitation, the girls followed him. Sailor Mercury felt her anxieties grow. What did they see? What had happened to Gohan? All she could do right now was pray that he was safe and they found him in time.

As they drew closer, they could hear the grunts and battle cries were getting louder, the sound of physical collision was clearer and it was as though they were being hit by shockwaves of energy.

"GOHAN!" Sailor Mercury desperately called, but her tone and expression changed immediately as they appeared in a clearing. Her worry and concern was replaced with confusion, but above all, she was hurt. "Gohan?" she seemed to call out his name in disbelief.

"Huh?" Gohan stopped his movements suddenly and turned to see the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask standing by the entrance of his training grounds. He used this spot quite whenever he wanted to beat out some frustration. "Hey guys. What're you doing here? I thought we weren't training 'til later?"

"Gohan! What the hell is going on?!" demanded Sailor Uranus and the young Saiyan seemed even more confused.

"What? Oh right, sorry." he apologised, glancing at his sparring partner nervously before laughing in embarrassment. "Well, Nikiko was pretty good when we trained last time so I thought I'd train with her before you all showed up."

"But you were taken by the enemy!" gasped Sailor Mars in disbelief.

"We were attacked and we thought they'd got to you!" added Sailor Jupiter, with the same disbelief in her voice at what they were seeing.

"Wait," Sailor Uranus suddenly said, staring at Gohan with untrusting eyes, "remember what happened last time. This might just be another trick." Her eyes narrowed as she observed the blank and confused look cross the handsome face of the adolescent Saiyan. "Mercury," she suddenly called out and snapped the Sailor Scout from her thoughts, "can you scan his ki wave and confirm it's him? He said everyone's ki is unique right?" asked the Solider of the Sky, never taking her eyes off this suspicious form.

Sailor Mercury had been so lost and confused by her thoughts that she was surprised to be called upon by Sailor Uranus. She nodded at her request and tapped her earring, drawing up the computer screen goggles across her eyes and pulling out her compact computer. She began typing away, running the ki-wave scanner she had managed to create and directing it at Gohan's body. Though she felt it in her heart before the scan had even begun, it just proved that this was indeed the true Gohan.

"It's really him." she said quietly, dismissing her computer screen and pocketing her compact once more.

"That doesn't make any sense." Sailor Moon said quietly, looking worriedly at her friend.

"So, was everything that had happened earlier just an illusion?" Sailor Mars asked. Her tone was questioning and calm, but she was furious with herself for not sensing the deception.

"No, it was definitely the enemy. But they tricked us." Sailor Neptune replied bitterly, hating the idea that they had been so easily mislead.

"Well, we did kind of jump to conclusions." Sailor Jupiter reasoned, frowning slightly.

"Who told you that we had rearranged our training time?" Tuxedo Mask asked Gohan, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Gohan had been watching the Scouts review him with much confusion. He obviously had no idea what had happened, and was therefore unsure of how to react to their suspicions. But Tuxedo Mask's question brought him back to reality and he studied his friend's alter ego for a moment, frowning as he tried to remember.

But he couldn't.

Why couldn't he remember? Gohan's frown deepened with frustration and he folded his arms, pouting much like his father while he desperately tried to recall the reasoning behind this assumption. He remembered seeing Amy near the library, then going to study with Nikiko. Then he was in his afternoon classes without Amy, so hadn't even been expecting to see her. But the other girls had been missing too.

He had panicked when he felt multiple ki waves of enemy minions again, higher ki waves than the previous creatures he had fought. But he sensed the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask surrounding both of them and relaxed, making no effort to join them. This was what he had been waiting to observe and, within minutes, the dangerous power disappeared. He had been pleased with the progress of the battles. Granted, it took longer than if he had been there, but he felt he could perhaps step down as the world's protector and allow the Scouts to do their duty against these simple creatures without his interference. After all, he couldn't have been in two places at once to stop both those things. But the Scouts were like a well built machine and co-ordinated themselves perfectly.

Why couldn't he remember anything after that? The next thing he knew, he was dropping his things at home very quickly and carrying Nikiko in his arms so they could fly to this spot and begin their training. He wasn't even quite sure when they had started their friendly match. It could hardly have been more than a quarter of an hour or so?

"Gohan," Tuxedo Mask called to him, pulling Gohan out of his thoughts and back to reality, "you need to answer me." he said. There wasn't any forceful authority in his tone, it wasn't a command that would make Gohan feel reproachful. It was a concerned request, gently spoken from a caring friend.

"I can't remember." He said finally, sighing in defeat. For the first time, his mind seemed to have failed him. He was not prone to forgetting things like this and he felt disconcerted. The only other times he had bouts of memory loss was when he had transformed into the infamous Saiyan form of a great ape, the Oozaru. But he no longer had a tail, so that wasn't even a possibility.

"Forgive me, I feel as though I may be intruding." a gentle and smooth voice spoke, making Gohan lose all thought immediately. He looked back to Nikiko with a light daze in his face and he smiled sweetly at her.

"No no! You're never intruding! Don't worry!" he said quickly and brightly.

She smiled sweetly at him and approached him with inhuman grace and lightness of step. The sharp eyes of Sailor Uranus narrowed as they observed this creature; her mistrust and dislike for her increasing with each passing second.

Nikiko gently kissed Gohan on the cheek, making the young Saiyan blush the brightest shade of red and completely lose his ability to construct any conscious thought. Her intense hazel eyes locked with his for a moment as she spoke, "I will take my leave. I know when I am not welcome. Perhaps we can continue another time." she smiled at Gohan again, paralysing the Saiyan with her beautiful gesture before she turned away. Taking a capsule out of her pocket, she pressed the button and threw it into the centre of the clearing, where it erupted into life and revealed a hovercraft. She climbed in with ease and, with a final glance to the star struck Saiyan, she flew away.

"I get major negavibes from her." scowled Sailor Mars and Gohan snapped out of his daze immediately.

"What? There's nothing wrong with Nikiko!" he argued, annoyed at her words. Sailor Mars just frowned at him and said nothing. What could she say to someone so lost in their own emotions?

"Gohan, are you sure you can't remember _anything_?" pressed Sailor Neptune, gazing at her friend with concern and looked troubled when he shook his head.

"No, last thing I remember is sensing the battles you guys had with more of the enemies' minions." he replied, frowning with a serious and furious gaze. But his look softened as he observed his friends. They seemed to be looking at him with disbelief, concern and horror. What was going on? "What happened to you guys?" he asked them with genuine concern.

"We thought they'd got to you." Sailor Mercury said quietly, staring at Gohan with a very hurt expression.

"Who?" he asked in confusion.

When Gohan met her eyes, he felt a pain within him that he couldn't quite explain. He couldn't connect with her gaze for more than a moment; it hurt him so much to see that expression in her eyes. He wanted to do everything in his power to make it go away, to make her smile and for her eyes to sparkle in their joyful gleam.

What the...

Why was he thinking like that? It wasn't his place. He was very close with Amy, out of all the girls. So perhaps that was why? It's only natural to want to do everything you could to cheer up your friends. But this was strange... Gohan could not recall a time where he had ever felt like this.

"It was a trick." Sailor Neptune began to inform him. "We came for our scheduled training session with you. But it was the enemy in disguise and they attacked us. They're growing smarter and their attacks are sneakier. They've been luring us into a false sense of security." Her fists seemed to clench with frustration as she spoke.

Sailor Uranus seemed to stiffen and her muscles seemed to tense at her lovers' words. "And we've been falling for it." she finished bitterly. "They've been adapting to our attacks and they've been studying our lives. They know who we trust and what our plan is." She growled furiously at the thought of being watched for who knows how long. "

"What're you talking about?!" Gohan's eyes were now wide with worry and his brow seemed to crease as he slowly absorbed their words. They were being watched?

"Gohan, they absorbed our energy attacks!" Sailor Moon informed him, with slight desperation in her eyes. "We couldn't do anything. They absorbed them and used them against us. We barely managed to kill them."

Gohan's face seemed to go into a horrified sense of shock at her words. They absorbed energy attacks? "H-how is that possible?" he gasped. The only other time he could recall energy attacks being absorbed was-

No... They were long gone. His father defeated the entire Red Ribbon Army as a child and when Dr. Gero had returned in android form, Gohan had obliterated their strongest opponent yet... Cell.

"We don't know." Sailor Venus frowned furiously as she thought back to their battle. "But the thing just seemed to spin and instead of being hurt by my attack, it just absorbed it." The other Scouts nodded and reflected the same troubled look.

"They've got cloaking mechanisms too." added Sailor Mars and Gohan's eyes widened in surprise. "We couldn't see it until it tried to attack us. If you hadn't told us about unique ki waves, Mercury wouldn't have been able to scan for its' energy so we had a target." She spoke with a gentle form of affection in her eyes this time, but Gohan still felt uneasy.

"But then... how did you manage to defeat it if it could just absorb your attacks?" Gohan asked; a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps this was the work of a more advanced creation that was left unattended by Dr. Gero?

"Mercury figured it out." Tuxedo Mask responded, giving an admiring glance in her direction. "They could only absorb pure energy attacks and recreate them. When the attacks were so powerful that they had to be channelled through a magical object, they couldn't absorb it and had no form of defence against it. So they were destroyed by Sailor Moons' kelidomoon scope."

"And my Space Sword." nodded Sailor Uranus with a slight smirk as she recalled her victory.

No, there was definitely no way that this was the work of the Red Ribbon Army.

"We suspect it's because of you, Gohan." Sailor Neptune said rather harshly, though her tone was still gentle.

He looked at her blankly, completely bewildered by her statement. "Me? Why? What did I do?"

"You defeated the enemy so easily with pure energy from within yourself." she replied, gazing at him with both admiration and annoyance, "It seems as though they felt they needed to up their game."

"That doesn't make it my fault!" he retorted, frowning rather angrily. He didn't appreciate being accused for protecting the world.

"They've been watching us!" growled Sailor Uranus, "They know our plan. We need to up our game twice as much; find somewhere else to train. We can't trust anyone besides each other until we can figure out the enemies' next move." she said harshly, glaring at Gohan with accusing eyes.

He had a feeling he knew what she was getting at, and he didn't like it. He could feel his ki rising with his temper, and he fought for control over it; just as he was fighting to remain calm as he spoke.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" his voice was low and deadly; there was a slight threat in the tone of his voice and it made the inner planetary Scouts take an unconscious step back. Sailor Mercury seemed horrified at his sudden change. The Gohan she knew as not like this.

Was he?

Sailor Neptune seemed to take on a defensive stance, ready to act to defend her love. But Sailor Uranus didn't move. She didn't even twitch at the sudden threat that appeared within him. Her eyes narrowed in an almost cruel gaze as she observed him before responding.

"I mean that you should stay away from Nikiko. I don't trust her."

Gohan growled, his fists clenching and a sudden anger overcoming him. He fought for control over his ki, which was rapidly rising with his fury. His ebony hair seemed to be struggling as it flashed blonde at regular intervals; his eyes similarly flashing the signature teal of the Super Saiyan.

"There's nothing wrong with Nikiko!" he growled, twitching as he struggled to control his temper; knowing that he was more of a threat to the Scouts if he transformed. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Gohan, she's not wrong." Sailor Mars tried to reason with him, taking a cautious step forwards and speaking gently. Her eyes were concerned and compassionate as they gazed at the young lover. "I get some serious negavibes from her that I don't get from other people; from good people. She's dangerous and we just want to do what's best-"

"I'm sick of people trying to decide what's best for me!" he suddenly shouted, erupting in an aura of golden flames and electricity; sending a shockwave of energy against the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. The Scouts screamed as they were struck by the sudden energy and, with what humanity Gohan could use to reason against his Saiyan instincts, he charged up his power and flew off into the air faster than lightening.

At least this way he wouldn't hurt them if he got angrier. He knew only one place, one person, who would make him feel better in a moment like this. Intensifying his speed, Gohan flew directly in search of that person, following his powerful ki.

Sailor Mercury sighed as she sunk to her knees, staring after Gohan.

"Is he out of his mind!" Sailor Uranus almost shouted in fury.

"No, his right mind is what made him fly off." Tuxedo Mask countered, frowning thoughtfully in the direction where Gohan had disappeared from view. "If he had stayed, he could have easily destroyed us all by losing his temper like that."

"But what's he going to do once he calms down?" sighed Sailor Jupiter, watching Sailor Mercury with a sad and concerned gaze. "I mean, he knows how we all feel about him and Nikiko. I was happy for them and everything, but things are getting weird around her."

Sailor Moon nodded but said nothing, staring after Gohan with a sad and thoughtful gaze. She couldn't do anything but worry about her friend and the emotional trauma their situation must have been costing him.

"But that's so unlike Gohan." sighed Sailor Venus, frowning sadly. "He doesn't normally lose his temper like that."

"We've never asked him to leave his girlfriend before." Sailor Neptune reasoned, "People do crazy things when it involves someone they care about." She looked sweetly to Sailor Uranus as she said this, making the Solider of the Sky blush.

"I think, this was the choice that King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity might have been talking about." Sailor Moon said quietly, making the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask look at her in slight surprise.

Sailor Mercury sighed weakly and nodded, "It seems so. He needs to choose between us and Nikiko." Mercury spoke with a weak voice that seemed slightly shaken; very unlike her natural tone and it made the other Scouts feel uneasy. They sympathised with her situation, but knew that his decision meant more to her than it could possibly mean to the rest of them.

"He won't have a choice." An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke up, making the Scouts jump and raise their guard immediately. They protectively surrounded Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask as they looked around for the source of the voice.

"Who's there?" called Sailor Uranus.

"Son Gohan isn't in his right mind, though he may not realise it." The voice continued, ignoring the Scouts' question. "Very difficult magic has been cast on him. And it is even more difficult to undo."

"Show yourself!" Sailor Uranus demanded with frustration.

"I mean you no harm Sailor Scouts. I merely seek to help you in your quest and, in return, I seek the assistance of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion." The voice spoke gently, making the Scouts soften their stances slightly. Their softness at her words encouraged her to come forward.

There was a rustling in the trees above and suddenly, with an acrobatic leap and twirl, she landed softly and silently on all fours in front of the Sailor Scouts.

"YOU!" Sailor Moon suddenly gasped when she saw the creature and the Sailor Scouts immediately took a firm fighting stance once more. The creature looked up at them, her future King and Queen. Her gazed lingered on them softly, admiration flowing through her intense hazel eyes; slowly she bent her head as she knelt before them and bowed to her royals.

"Forgive me for my secrecy, your highnesses." she spoke gently as her pure white tail swished back and forth nervously, "I wished to seek the help of Son Gohan before he was infected, but I was too late. I now need your help to restore him and defeat this enemy that threatens your world." Her mane of white hair, out of which stuck a couple of perky white ears, fell forwards across the sides of her face.

"Who- who are you?" Sailor Moon said gently, slowly overcoming the initial shock of meeting this Nikojin once more.

She looked at them, her eyes held a sense of depth, determination and purpose. "My name is Nailah, heiress to the Nikoken Empire and princess of planet Nikota. I travelled here to seek the help of the most powerful warrior in the universe. I had sensed the ki waves of the Saiyan, Son Gohan, from my own planet 4 Earth-years ago. It gave me hope, after I had discovered the Moon Kingdom had been destroyed."

"How did you know about the Moon Kingdom?" Sailor Moon asked with surprise.

"I sought the help of Queen Serenity, only to discover that her empire was no more." Nailah replied bitterly. "I believed the stories I had heard from legend, of the powerful energy within the Moon Kingdom, of the Silver Imperium Crystal; a power that could defeat any evil within the galaxy. I believed that it could free my people."

"Your people?" Sailor Moon seemed to repeat this phrase with wonder, frowning gently at the Nikojin Princess.

"I would prefer to explain my purpose in a more sheltered area, Princess." Nailah said carefully, rising from her bowed position. "It is not safe here. This area is infected."

"Infected?" Sailor Mercury repeated; her eyes were wide and confusion flittered over the expressions of all the Scouts as the Nikojin nodded darkly. "By what?" she prompted and the Nikojin looked at her with an intense gaze, making the warrior falter under her.

"Please, let us return to the Capsule Corporation. We must recruit the Saiyan Prince before we continue." Nailah said with a meaningful look at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. The couple exchanged a worried look before nodding.

"Alright." Tuxedo Mask said, taking a small capsule from his pocket and pressing the button. He threw it a few feet ahead of the group and it erupted into a spacious hover van.

"Are you sure he'll be at Capsule Corp?" Sailor Moon asked Nailah, a worried and thoughtful look never leaving her eyes.

Nailah nodded with dark determination as she climbed into the van, "He will return there after his battle with Son Gohan."

"His battle with Gohan!?" gasped the Scouts simultaneously, freezing in their motion to get in. Nailah only nodded once more and said nothing. The Scouts looked at one another sceptically and Sailor Neptune and Uranus seemed very tense.

But, with an encouraging nod from Sailor Moon, they all took a seat and Tuxedo Mask began to fly them towards Capsule Corp.


	15. Chapter 15

How dare they try to make Gohan stop hanging around with Nikiko! He was happy with her! She wasn't doing anything to hurt them and she was an excellent sparring partner. They got along well, had great chemistry and she was so beautiful – not that that mattered much. Granted, he struggled to compose a coherent sentence in her presence, but she definitely wasn't as delicate as she looked, which is why training had been so great. Gohan had been amazed at her skill, speed and agility.

He felt the anger in his veins pulsing furiously and it only increased as he thought of the Sailor Scouts. How could they truly be good people, if they couldn't see the good in Nikiko? Perhaps they were the wrong ones to trust? Maybe they're secretly the enemy? All this talk of Serena and Darien being the future King and Queen of the Earth... Was that just their way of gaining his trust? Perhaps they had just been showing him their evil plans and destroying their own minions? It's not like he hadn't faced enemies who weren't so ruthless that they wouldn't kill their own team unnecessarily, just for the sake of keeping up a charade. Should he have been so accepting in believing them and accepting they had the right to eventually achieve that title? They shouldn't be the ones to decide something so crucial! It's impossible for the Earth to be ruled peacefully by two people!

Gohan stopped in mid-air, clutching his head painfully as the anger coursed through him. Lightening seemed to strike through his eyes and he was struggling not to cry out in pain.

What were these ideas coming to his mind now? Of course he could trust the Sailor Scouts! They had done nothing but protect innocent people since he had known them. They had the same goal; they wanted to protect the Earth.

No, they wanted to rule the Earth. That's why they wanted him to stay away from Nikiko. They must have tricked him! Nikiko was a good person and they didn't want Gohan learning the truth from someone as good as her!

What?! No, this didn't seem right! What was going on? Gohan struggled to stay steady in the air as he fought against these negative thoughts pulsing through him.

The Scouts were his friends. They cared about him.

They just wanted to use him to fight the enemy! They must have sensed his power since the beginning and had been using this time to gain his trust! It was all a trick! The only person he could trust is Nikiko.

Gohan suddenly cried out in pain and clutched his head, almost ready to pull his hair out as he gasped for breath.

He needed to disarm the Scouts before they became too dangerous; until he was certain he could trust them. He needed to get his hands on the Silver Imperium Crystal and the Golden Crystal.

Gohan's head snapped up suddenly as he noticed a familiar ki approaching him and he couldn't help but smirk eagerly. Now, wasn't that convenient? Vegeta was personally seeking him out. He'd feel better once he had beaten that pompous Saiyan prince into a bleeding pulp.

Vegeta stopped mid-air and hovered a few feet away from Gohan, glaring furiously at the young Saiyan.

"Hey Vegeta." greeted Gohan with a smirk, his voice was deeper from his transformation and there was a warriors gleam in his eyes as his thirst for battle was apparent. "You just saved me the trouble of having to come find you myself."

Vegeta glared at Gohan for a moment before smirking, "Well, this seemed like as good of a location as any to begin our battle."

Gohan glanced around and noticed they were in a mountainous area; the nearest village couldn't have been for miles. This was definitely as good a spot as any for their battle. Not that it mattered; Gohan just needed Vegeta around as a punching bag until he felt better. Then he could think about the Scouts with a clearer head. One thing he felt certain of though; they couldn't be trusted with the power they possessed.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to attack? I understand if you're too scared to move." Vegeta taunted, taking on a fighting stance and charging up to his Super Saiyan form.

Gohan smirked and didn't even raise his guard, cockily resting his fists on his hips as he looked at Vegeta with a blood-thirsty and overconfident gaze.

"So impatient for your own defeat, Vegeta?" laughed Gohan.

Vegeta simply chuckled darkly. He would not fall for that brat's taunting! There was something different about him and Vegeta wasn't in the mood to be patient and find out.

"Fine." He growled, "If you won't make the first move, then I will!" he cried and launched forward to attack Gohan, releasing an intense battle cry as he did.

But, at the last second, he used his intense speed to relocate his body to behind that of Gohans' and struck a fierce kick towards his head.

Gohan felt his Saiyan instincts taking complete control over him; there seemed to be no conscious thought going through his head any more as he reacted so immediately to Vegetas' movement. He ducked, avoiding the attack and relocated behind Vegeta within an nanosecond, catching his opponent by surprise and pounding his interlocked fists into the Princes' back. The attack knocked Vegeta directly into the Earth, creating an intense crater on impact.

Vegeta glared at the floating son of a pathetic, low-rank warrior. "Lucky shot." he muttered to himself darkly and floated back into the air. Gohan simply smirked eagerly as he watched his prey with delight.

That felt good.

Vegeta glared at Gohan and took another fighting stance before charging again, with another battle cry and aiming to punch his face. Gohan dodged it and tried to knee Vegeta in the gut. The Prince easily predicted this manoeuvre and used his knee to collide with Gohans' to block it. The fury of punches and kicks, blocks and dodges that followed were at such a speed, that it was almost impossible to distinguish the individual movements. No human would have even been able to see the two fighters; they would only have felt the shockwaves of incredible power that were sent from each collision. Their cries of battle with each movement were combined with cries of pain whenever their attacks connected with their target.

Vegeta managed to send a powerful roundhouse kick into Gohans' ribs, sending him flying into a cliff, knocking through the structure as though it wasn't even there; a loud cry of pain escaping his young Saiyan lips. Gohan growled furiously as he emerged from the rubble and, with lightening striking through his intense teal eyes once more, he powered up his ki and charged at Vegeta.

"Kai-o-Ken!" Gohan shouted and Vegeta's eyes widened as, within a split second, Gohan's speed and power was doubled. In his already Ascended Saiyan state, the Prince didn't even have a moment to react before he felt a powerful fist collide with his face and knock him off balance. Gohan wasted no time in following up with multiple punches to Vegeta's exposed torso and then finishing with a powerful roundhouse kick to his ribs; knocking the proud Prince out of the sky and embedding him into the nearby mountainside.

"Destructo Disk!" Gohan cried, raising his hand into the air above his head and forming the powerful ring of energy that could cut through anything. He spent barely a moment charging it before throwing it directly into the mountainside where Vegeta had landed.

As he watched the structure tremble before crumbling to the floor, Gohan relaxed with a satisfied smirk.

"I see you have a few tricks up your sleeve, though, they're not very original." A voice said from behind him and Gohan's eyes widened in surprise, turning around to face the rather battered but smirking face of the Saiyan Prince. "You missed." He taunted, chuckling darkly. Gohan growled furiously, clenching his fists and scrunching his body like a spring before he leapt into action and charged at Vegeta once more, his eyes flashing with furious lightening.

As Gohan aimed to punch Vegeta's face, the Prince ducked and allowed Gohan to smoothly fly over him and create the ideal position before he could stop himself. Vegeta drove his fist cleanly into Gohan's gut and Gohan gasped at the move, feeling the air suddenly knocked out of him. Quickly, he powered his knee into Vegeta's face and a cry of pain escaped the Prince as blood dripped from his now broken nose. Again, Gohan interlocked his fists and aimed to send a powerful blow into the Princes' gut. However, he suddenly froze from Vegeta's next movement.

Immediately, Vegeta raised his hands in front of his face and directly at Gohan, sending a powerful beam of energy at the young Saiyan, who had paid for his moment of hesitation. Gohan's eyes widened as he released a cry of pain; only just being able to react to the attack by charging up his own ki to absorb what he could of the blow.

But that weak defence didn't leave him unscathed.

Vegeta returned to a resting position and floated a few feet away from Gohan, smirking as he wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand and panted for breath.

"You've improved, kid." He commented and chuckled darkly. Gohan simply smirked back as he, too, panted for breath. The top half of his gi was in tatters, barely holding on to his body from that last attack; he was covered in dirt, cuts and bruises.

"So have you." replied the young Saiyan warrior with a smirk as he observed his opponent; a manic gleam shone in his eyes as he revelled in the battle. It was a deadly and lustful gaze, desperate for the fury of the battle to continue.

With an intense roar, Vegeta charged up another energy beam and directed it at Gohan.

"BIG BANG CANNON!" he shouted and threw the beam at him. Gohan's eyes narrowed and he readied himself to block the beam, crossing his arms in front of him as a shield and crouching behind them.

Vegeta wasted no time as he sensed his attack collide; knowing it wouldn't have much of an impact on his powerful opponent. He immediately used his intense speed to charge forward and appear behind Gohan, aiming to punch him but the Prince stopped suddenly in midair, looking around in surprise. The smoke cleared and revealed Gohan to have disappeared.

_Where could that insolent little-_

"Up here!" called a cocky voice that was all too familiar. Just as Vegeta looked up, Gohan charged down with a furious battle cry. The Prince had just enough time to dodge before their match continued, with Gohan now intensely on the offensive.

He punched and kicked at every section of Vegeta that he could see with intense speed, whilst the Saiyan Prince dodged or tried to block each blow, struggling to find an unguarded moment to attack. More than once, his defence wasn't enough and he took the attack head on, suffering the physical consequences.

After a furious side-kick to the stomach that was then followed by an immediate hook kick behind his head, Vegeta was knocked powerfully into the Earth once more. Beaten and battered, he got to his feet once more and glared up at Gohan, panting for breath.

This didn't make any sense! He, the Prince of all Saiyans, had been in constant training for years! Whilst this no-good little son of a low-class warrior had kept his head down and buried his nose in the books! He'd beaten him in their training battles just over a week ago! There was no way he could have improved so much in so little time.

There was something very different about him; something that wasn't just the result of intense training.

Gohan was pleased. He couldn't believe the power that came from within him and was exploding all over Vegeta. This didn't even truly feel like a challenge! How could he have been beaten by the Saiyan Prince in their earlier training sessions? He must have just forgotten how to fight; lost his connection with his instincts as a Saiyan warrior.

"If I were you Vegeta," Gohan taunted, "I'd stay down." Despite his ripped gi and his bruised and battered body, Gohan hardly felt as though he had been in such an intense battle so far. He had faced worse, and felt as though he was bound to come out on top once more.

Vegeta was furious with Gohan's snide remark. How dare he speak to his Prince like that! With a furious battle cry, Vegeta launched several powerful ki blasts at the floating Saiyan. Gohan's smirk immediately vanished behind a cloud of smoke, raising his arms once more to block the attack. He could feel their impact drawing blood from his body. As he felt the attack subside, he lowered his arms and sensed Vegeta still on the ground. He smirked once more.

"Like a sitting duck." he muttered to himself with a deadly smirk. "Nice try Vegeta, but let me show you how it's done." He called down to the panting Prince. He could see Vegeta's eyes widen as Gohan cupped his hands to his hip, powering up a ki blast.

"KA-" he began to shout, the blue beam of energy beginning to collect in his hands.

"-ME-"

The beam was growing as he continued to pour his energy into the attack. If he got rid of Vegeta, there would be no one powerful enough to fight him. The Scouts were nothing if he took the Golden and Silver Imperium Crystals from them. He'd never have to fight any one ever again. This was his ticket out of this life! He could go back to being a quiet schoolboy and be normal; focus on his studies and being there for his family.

"-HA-"

Wait, what? What was he thinking?! He could never be normal! It just... wasn't who he was. But if he got rid of Vegeta, then that would surely be a step towards becoming that way! He just needed to get rid of the Saiyans! He could start with the last pure-blooded Saiyan, the Prince of all Saiyans!

Why would he want to get rid of Vegeta? This wasn't making any sense. The ki in his hands faltered and began to shrink before Gohan shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and focus on pouring more ki into the attack.

"-ME-" he continued to shout. But, at this power level, his attack would destroy Vegeta. He didn't want to do that. Getting rid of Vegeta wouldn't solve anything. It was mindless murder and went against everything he believed in!

No, he needed to get rid of Vegeta. It was the start of a new beginning. It would help him find peace once more. He could stop fighting once Vegeta and the Sailor Scouts were gone!

Gohan suddenly extinguished the ki blast as he held his head, struggling not to cry out in pain and gripping his skull as though it was going to explode. He didn't want to kill Vegeta or the Sailor Scouts! As big of a pain as he was, he was their friend. And he trusted the Scouts. He'd never hurt them!

But, surely this was the right thing to do? Vegeta had never treated him kindly; he had always been rude and had even tried to kill him in the past. The Scouts were trying to take over the world; Gohan surely had to stop them.

He's different now! He's on our side! He's married to Bulma, he's got a son; he's good! And it didn't seem like the Scouts wanted to take over the world. They wanted to protect it, just like he did. What was going on?! Why was he thinking like this?

He needed to get rid of Vegeta, and then get the most powerful crystals in the galaxy.

Wait, no he didn't! He didn't want power! He didn't want to kill Vegeta! Why were these thoughts seeping into his mind?

Gohan was suddenly snapped back into reality as Vegeta appeared before him, glaring at him furiously with his arms folded across his battered armour.

"Why didn't you attack?" he growled furiously.

"What?" Gohan seemed to gape in confusion. His lust for the battle was rapidly disappearing as he pursued his mental struggle against mindless murder.

"I was down there and you had the power to finish me." Vegeta stated. His fury with Gohan's decision was ridiculous! "Why didn't you?" he demanded.

Gohan stared at him for a moment before his eyes flashed with lightening once more. He groaned and held his head, pinching his eyes shut and bending over; begging for his agony to end. Why was he thinking such terrible things? Why did he have such urges that fell against his own nature?

"I- I don't know." He struggled to choke out.

"It's because you're weak." He spat and Gohan glared at him. "You're weak and pathetic, just like Kakarot! You don't have it in you to finish a battle."

If Vegeta wanted Gohan to end him when he had the chance, then he could make up for it and end him right now!

NO! Vegeta was his friend and Gohan wasn't a murderer! He had no reason to kill Vegeta!

But he was furious for Gohan not attacking; he was being ridiculous and deserved for Gohan to attack him there and then!

But, isn't that just how Vegeta was? If he thought Gohan was holding back, he wouldn't feel honour in the battle. There was no pride in winning a fight against an opponent if he wasn't giving it his all. And pride was everything to the Saiyan Prince.

Gohan glared at Vegeta and resumed an upright position, taking a fighters stance once more.

"Ready for round 2?" the young Saiyan smirked and Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he observed Gohan. There was definitely something wrong with the boy.

Vegeta didn't even bother to respond as Gohan made to try to punch him once more. The Prince swiftly moved to the side and sent a powerful blow directly into Gohan's ribs.

The disgusted look that crossed Vegeta's face didn't go unnoticed by Gohan and he glared at his opponent as he struggled to catch his breath from the blow.

"What?" he spat.

"You're becoming reckless." Vegeta commented, crossing his arms once more.

Gohan simply glared at Vegeta silently, feeling his fury pulsing through him once more. His eyes flashed with lightening and he began to smirk; an occurrence that didn't go unnoticed by the Saiyan Prince. He narrowed his eyes at Gohan, who charged forwards and began a fury of punches and kicks, aiming at Vegeta's head.

Vegeta dodged them all and ducked, aiming to kick Gohan but his eyes suddenly widened. Gohan floated in the air, smirking as he cupped his hands together and began to power up his ki. He sent an intense beam of energy to Vegeta, hitting him head on, with a cry of "MASENKO-HAA!"

Vegeta groaned in pain as the force of the blow sent him flying backwards. He crashed into the hillside and barely had enough time to recover from the debris before Gohan was upon him, furiously punching and kicking every inch of the Princes' body.

Vegeta was barely able to keep up with him, blocking where he could, otherwise taking the blow head on. He barely had enough space to manoeuvre a counter-attack.

The manic gleam in Gohan's eyes shone brightly as he continued to attack, an excited grin on his face. His grin began to falter, however, as he observed the damage he had been causing to the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta... his friend.

He suddenly stopped attacking and flew back a few feet, gazing with horror at the battered body of Vegeta. Gohan looked to his own hands with revulsion. What had he done? Why did he do that? Even when he had lost in their training sessions, Vegeta had never let Gohan reach such a broken state.

But, he should keep fighting! That's what Vegeta wants, isn't it? He taunted him for not being man enough to keep going – to finish the fight when he has the chance.

Not like this... he can't keep fighting like this. He held his head as he cried out in pain; his mind fighting with his animalistic instincts.

He wanted to kill Vegeta. He wanted to destroy him and the Scouts. But this wasn't right. What was the point?

"I- I'm sorry Vegeta." Gohan struggled out before powering up and flying quickly away from the battle. He had never retreated like this before. Not when he could win. But there was only one person he felt right with when they fought and he needed to see her. He needed to talk to her and find out whether or not he was going crazy.

What was wrong with him?

Sensing her ki, Gohan followed it to find Nikiko and relax his mind with her.

Vegeta stared after the last rays of Gohan's ki with a disgruntled look, dissatisfied with their battle. It had been interesting, no doubt, but the child was weak willed. He had had several opportunities to end Vegeta, but chose not to. His mental struggle against the infection was evident.

Taking a senzu bean from his back pocket popping it into his mouth, Vegeta powered back down to his resting form and ate the healing bean. The effects were instantaneous upon swallowing and the Saiyan Prince was restored to full health and power once more. He charged up his ki and flew in the direction of home, sensing more than one unwelcome ki based at Capsule Corporation.


	16. Chapter 16

Vegeta landed in the gardens of Capsule Corp and didn't even flinch at the shrill voice that greeted him so adoringly.

"VEGETA! JUST WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! I HAVE BEEN WORRIED SICK! BUT YOU DIDN'T EVEN TAKE A SECOND TO THINK ABOUT ME! YOU JUST FLEW OFF, LIKE ALWAYS, TO GO FIGHT WITH GOHAN AFTER TELLING ME HE'S GOT SOME SORT OF MENTAL PROBLEM AND DUMPING THESE ALIENS IN OUR HOUSE FOR ME TO DEAL WITH!" shouted the rich and beautiful wife of the Saiyan Prince, Bulma Briefs; heiress to the multi-million dollar Capsule Corporation and genius mother to the lavender haired half-Saiyan half-human, Trunks Briefs.

The Prince ignored her screaming and swaggered into the building, following his ki senses to their source. Almost immediately, he found the Nikoten Princess, the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask, sat in his lounge, awkwardly sipping cups of tea; or, in the case of the Moon Princess, gorging on the cakes and biscuits that had been politely laid out by his wife. The Scouts and Tuxedo Mask had all de-transformed into their resting human states; making the prince grimace at the school girls he was working with.

Nailah had been watching the doorway expectantly for Vegeta to walk in, having followed his ki since he set off to battle with Gohan. The Scouts, however, seemed slightly startled at his sudden entrance. They had been nervously sat in silence since their arrival, which was now nearing just under an hour.

"Greetings Prince Vegeta." nodded Nailah and Vegeta smirked at her, Bulma now appearing at his side with a very disgruntled look on her face. Her arms were folded across her chest in the typical style that was associated with her husband.

"It's nice to see someone still knows how to show respect to the Prince of all Saiyans." he muttered, with a glance at Bulma. She rolled her eyes and dismissed his look without a second thought, glaring suspiciously at Nailah.

The Nikoten Princess looked to Bulma and smiled gently. "I apologise, Mrs. Briefs. I realise we are intruding on your company. But, for now, this is the safest location for our discussion."

"And **what** is your discussion about?" she spat and began to list her demands on her fingers, "I want to know what has happened to Gohan, how we can fix it, how you know about all this, why the hell you came to our planet and what you want from us. You get it? I want answers!" Bulma demanded and Vegeta's smirk vanished very quickly as he looked to his wife.

"Woman, this is none of your concern." he growled and Bulma's fury turned to him.

"THE HELL IT ISN'T!" she shouted.

"DON'T YOU RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME YOU PATHETIC HUMAN!" Vegeta shouted back furiously.

"DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Bulma retorted, "I MAY BE HUMAN BUT I CAN STILL MAKE YOU SLEEP OUTSIDE." Bulma began to rant viciously, "YOU WILL NOT SHUT ME OUT OF ALL THE END OF THE WORLD CRAP LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO AND JUST EXPECT ME TO LISTEN TO YOU AND BUILD YOU WHATEVER THE HELL YOU NEED! HOW DO I KNOW YOU'RE NOT JUST GOING TO STEAL THE SPACESHIP AND FLY OFF FOR ANOTHER YEAR?!"

"I DO WHAT I DO FOR THE GOOD OF YOU AND THE BOY! I AM THE PRINCE OF SAIYANS AND I WILL NOT-" Vegeta suddenly spluttered, a very light and barely noticeable blush crossing the proud face of the Saiyan Prince as he considered her threat.

"OH DON'T GIVE ME ANY OF THAT PRINCEY CRAP! YOU KNOW I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY WITH SHUTTING ME OUT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A DAMN PRINCE!"

Vegeta glared at Bulma with a vicious gaze and it was possible that sparks flew between their eyes for a moment in the ferocity of their glaring before, with a grunt, Vegeta backed away and a smug smirk pasted across his wife's face.

"Fine, but don't expect me to save you when you get attacked. I have better things to do than look after weak humans like you." He growled and took a seat opposite Nailah on the remaining sofa of the lounge.

The smug look never left Bulma's face as she took the seat next to him. Nailah, along with the rest of the Scouts and Darien, had been watching the scene with a tinge of surreal fear.

They were really a married couple, huh? Is that what marriage did to a person?

"Did you pick up the mate and youngest child of Kakarot?" Vegeta grumbled his question to Bulma after a few moments of awkward silence among the group.

Bulma nodded before she answered, "Yeah, they're staying in the guest bedroom; Chichi's with Goten and Trunks in his playroom right now." She paused for a moment before speaking again rather reproachfully, "You know, it wouldn't have killed you to shower before you sat down."

Vegeta simply let out a grunt of acknowledgement before disregarding her comment completely by folding his arms over his chest and staring determinedly at the wall, looking fierce and irritated, as usual. Bulma rolled her eyes at his behaviour before turning her sharp eyes to Nailah, who suddenly seemed nervous under the powerful gaze of the human who commanded the Saiyan Prince without fear.

"So, Nailah," Bulma began slowly, crossing her legs, "where should we start?"

Nailah stared blankly for a few moments before blinking and sighing quietly, crossing her own legs comfortably before she began speaking. The Scouts and Darien now all gazed at Nailah with rapt attention – well, except Serena. She struggled to tear her attention away from the delicious treats on the table for more than 5 minutes a time.

"Serena." Rei growled her leaders' name in a reprimanding tone and the Moon Princess looked up with surprise and swallowed her mouthful of treats.

"Sorry!" she apologised, giggling and blushing slightly in embarrassment. "It's just, awkward silences make me hungry!"

"Anything makes you hungry." Lita commented and the girls laughed as Serena blushed, pouting with playful irritation. Vegeta sent a disgusted glance to the princess before returning his gaze to the wall once more, saying nothing but silently giving his full attention to the scene before him.

Bulma didn't even react to Serena, giving her full and unwavering attention to Nailah, which only made the Nikoten Princess more nervous; her tail began to twitch left and right more rapidly.

"Let's start at the very beginning-" Bulma began.

"A very good place to start!" sang Mina before she could stop herself. The group of girls giggled again as Nailah, Bulma and Darien seemed to stare at them in surprise.

"It's from The Sound of Music... You know, Do-Re-Mi?" Mina sang as she attempted to prompt them, "No? ... Ok then." She blushed and fell silent, looking down in embarrassment at her silliness. "Sorry." She muttered sheepishly, though kept exchanging grins and glances with Serena.

"We're trying to discuss a very serious matter and if you pathetic humans can't stop being childish for more than 5 minutes then you may as well leave. We don't need your help. I can handle this new threat myself." scoffed Vegeta, glaring at the group.

Darien frowned, "Just hold on there a second Vegeta." he retorted with a steady and confident tone, "You're going to need our help against the enemy. I know you're powerful and everything, but you can't face them alone. The girls are taking it seriously, but they're just trying to lighten the mood a bit to make things more comfortable. It's how they deal with things." He smiled gently to Serena as she took his hand in her own. His girlfriend smiled adoringly at him, in appreciation for his words.

The Prince growled in response, turning his nose up at the Scouts. Amara twitched and Lita's fists clenched as they tolerated Vegeta's behaviour and resisted the urge to attack him, knowing they weren't anywhere near powerful enough to take him down.

"That's enough Vegeta." scolded Bulma and he glared at her, opening his mouth to retort once more.

Amy cleared her throat rather loudly and the group looked at her in surprise. "I don't think this is the time to be arguing. We should be focusing on our new enemy." she said and turned a very determined gaze to Nailah, "Nailah, what do you know about what's happening to Gohan?"

"Yeah, we can't help if we're being kept in the dark." Rei added.

"Right now, we're like a dog following the blind!" Mina said with a wise nod.

The group stared at her for a moment before Darien took pity on her, "Wouldn't it be 'like the blind following the dog'? . . . Is that even an idiom?" he raised an eyebrow as Mina blushed, laughing embarrassedly.

"Whatever, guys! I know what I mean!" she pouted.

Nailah stared at Amy for a few moments; the intense amber eyes of the Nikoten Princess meeting with the deep blue pools of the Mercurian Princess and studying her for a few moments. Nailah sighed before looking down, her tail twitching left and right nervously before she began speaking.

"It's known as the 'infection'." she began. The entire room was silent, listening to her words intently. "A dark energy has entered Gohan's heart and is feeding on his inner darkness." She spoke in a low tone and she wore a sombre expression, "While it's left untreated, the darkness will take control of his mind. He'll be lost to the darkness and will forever be under the control of Nikiko."

Serena gasped at these words, her eyes wide as she stared at Nailah.

"That little witch!" Lita cried, smashing her fist angrily into her palm. "Let's go take her down right now! We can't let her get away with this!"

"I knew she was up to no good!" Mina said, a furious look crossing her face and she nodded at Lita, "Let's take her down and show her what happens when she messes with the Sailor Scouts!"

"Don't be such fools." sneered Nailah and the two girls looked at her with surprise. Amara's eyes narrowed as she observed the Nikojin before her with an untrusting gaze. "You can't even tackle her Shadow Senshi. How are you planning on taking her down?"

"Shadow Senshi?" Rei repeated with a frown and Vegeta grunted in, what sounded like, impatience.

"Those weak, soul-stealing creatures you Sailor brats struggled to defeat." he spat and Rei glared at him, but Michelle seemed to frown as she considered this.

"How much stronger is Nikiko than the Shadow Senshi?" she wondered aloud and Nailah grimaced.

"Much more powerful." she answered simply. "A Shadow Senshi draws from but a fraction of her power."

"Do... do you think my crystal would be able to defeat her?" Sailor Moon asked quietly and, without hesitation, Nailah shook her head.

"The Silver Imperium Crystal isn't powerful enough on its' own. But, with the power of the Golden Crystal," she looked meaningfully to Darien, "and of the Saiyan energy attacks," she turned her intense amber eyes to Vegeta, "I think you would stand a stronger chance than if you were alone. She is powerful." she warned, "You must have complete faith in yourselves."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Bulma asked suspiciously and Nailah turned her gaze to the wife of the Saiyan Prince and observed her thoughtfully for a few moments; choosing her words carefully.

"Nikiko attacked my planet." She said finally, "I know her ways and, if she is defeated, then my planet will be restored."

"What happened to your planet?" Darien asked; a thoughtful frown on his handsome face.

Again, Nailah was silent for a few moments as she gazed thoughtfully at the future King. It was vital she didn't reveal too much, not now. "It's under her control and in complete chaos." she replied quietly. Her tail continued to twitch left and right.

"So you brought her to our planet so that we would defeat her for you." growled Vegeta, glaring furiously at Nailah, who stared back at him; her intense gaze contradicting her unreadable expression. He grunted angrily before turning his head away.

Serena looked thoughtfully to her Scouts and, after receiving an encouraging nod of approval from them, she got to her feet and knelt in front of Nailah with a gentle smile, taking the hand of the Nikoken Princess in her own. "We will help you any way we can." She said and Nailah withdrew her hand from the Moon Princess' grip after a few moments, rather startled at the gesture but nodded all the same, getting to her feet.

"I will take Gohans' place and train you against Nikiko and the Shadow Senshi." Nailah said, turning to face the group. This time it was Vegeta's turn to sneer.

"I don't need training from Nikojin. I can fight against these simple creatures by myself." he growled, but Nailah was unaffected by his words.

"Perhaps you are more than a match against the Shadow Senshi." nodded Nailah, "But, against Nikiko, the darkness in your heart would be your downfall."

"My mind cannot be controlled." he spat, "I am the Prince of all Saiyans and a legendary Super Saiyan warrior! I am not weak like Kakarot's spawn!"

Nailah's eyes narrowed slightly as she continued to observe Vegeta, "The innocent lives you've taken? The colonies of planets you destroyed for profit? Your thirst for immortality and power... A reputation around many galaxies precedes your name, Prince Vegeta. Darkness is indeed embedded into your heart. But no, that does not make you weak." she replied gently.

Instantly Vegeta was on his feet, his fists clenched and looking as though he was greatly fighting with the urge to hit the Nikoken Princess. Nailah simply stood her ground and hadn't even flinched at his movement, while Bulma had yelped in surprise. The Prince glared at the Princess, who stared back determinedly, until Vegeta let out a growl of irritation and stormed off towards his training room.

Bulma let out an exasperated sigh, "Well, that's the longest he's ever been out of there." she muttered, gaining a small smile from the Scouts.

"He trains very diligently and devotedly." Nailah commented, shaking her head regretfully, "It would have been useful to learn from him."

"Bulma, did you finish making the training room Gohan asked for?" Amy suddenly asked, drawing the attention away from the small scene the Saiyan Prince had created.

Bulma blinked for a moment before clapping her hands together happily, "Oh yeah!" she got to her feet with a manically proud look on her face, "It is my best work yet – if I do say so myself! I am such a genius!" she laughed joyfully and the Scouts grinned. "Come on!"

Nailah walked around the spacious gravity room that had been expertly designed by the genius inventor, Bulma Briefs, and felt hopeful. This would be an excellent training room. Gohan was brilliant to suggest it. She felt a weight on her shoulders as she thought of Gohan's condition, knowing there was no return.

"What level does the gravity level increase to?" Amy asked curiously, as Bulma was going through the features available – which included temperature adjustments, water-locking features to create an underwater ground, gravity adjustment, flame-throwers, moving targets, punching bags, training weights and all other forms of gear that she could think of.

"Hm, I never really checked." Bulma said thoughtfully, "But personally, I don't really want to find out. I'm happy with Earth gravity."

Nailah approached the control panel and curiously pressed the button to seal the door, making Bulma yelp as she had almost stepped through.

"HEY WATCH IT!" she shouted angrily, but Nailah ignored the verbal abuse she was receiving and continued to fiddle with the controls, increasing the gravity within the room by twenty. There was a sudden scream surrounding her, that made her jump and crouch on all fours in a cat-like position; her fur stood on end as she hissed at the source.

The Nikojin blinked a couple of times before standing up, regaining her composure and turning off the gravity change; the scream had come from the Scouts.

"Sorry. I was just seeing if it really worked by setting it to the gravity level on my planet." she explained, "I didn't realise none of you would be able to adjust to the change."

The Scouts, Bulma and Darien scrambled to their feet as they felt the sudden weight being lifted off of their bodies.

"Vegeta puts himself through THAT?!" gasped Bulma, breathing heavily.

Nailah smiled gently, "He would be able to tolerate much more than twenty times Earth's gravity, I'm sure."

"TWENTY TIMES?!" gasped Serena and Mina; staring wide eyed at Nailah.

Nailah looked back at them blankly, not really sure how to respond besides nodding simply.

Serena groaned and allowed herself to fall back to the floor, "This Sailor stuff never gets any easier does it?" she grumbled and the other Scouts giggled sympathetically; they shared her pain.

"You know," Serena gasped, as she panted for breath from her usual morning run into school, "I don't see why we have to keep going to school. I mean, we've got all of this saving the world stuff going on-"

"SHH! Serena!" scolded Mina, clamping her hand over Serena's mouth. Her eyes narrowed dramatically as she looked left and right suspiciously for anyone who might be listening. "The walls," she hissed, "have ears."

Serena raised an eyebrow at Mina and looked left and right curiously, "MmmNnnNnMmmm" she muffled from behind Mina's hand.

"EUGH!" Mina cried in disgust, drawing her hand away from Serena's mouth and wiping the spit on Serena's uniform. "That's disgusting!" she scowled and the Moon Princess simply smirked.

"You brought it upon yourself." she shrugged and Mina glared at her jokingly.

"Please guys, I'm trying to concentrate." Amy said seriously, looking up from her Mercurian compact computer momentarily before turning back to it and typing furiously.

"Uh, hey Amy... Whatcha doin?" Lita asked, curiously looking over her friends' shoulder.

"I'm trying to locate Gohan." she said, her hands continued to move furiously across the keyboard and her eyes remained locked on the screen, "If we find him, we can find Nikiko and stop her before she makes another attack."

"Great idea!" Serena cheered, punching the air happily before she seemed to frown. She was thinking, which was dangerous enough. "But, how're you going to do that?"

"I scanned Gohan's ki when we were training and I've still got his data stored. If I use a scanner and expand the range, I can potentially locate his ki."

"Oh! Like when the others were telling us they can sense ki?" Mina summed up curiously with a grin and Amy nodded.

"Yes, but I imagine it's a skill that takes more training than we have time to spare for. The sooner we can find Gohan, the better. So I'm trying to simulate that ability." Amy replied, but her frown said otherwise. "But there seems to be some constant interference with my scanning; it keeps breaking down."

"Nikiko?" growled Lita and Amy nodded, sighing exasperatedly and leaning back in her seat.

"Yes, I thought so too. I think she's using some of her magic to block the signal."

"Well then we'll just use our magic to break through it!" Lita growled irritably, punching her fist into her palm, "We'll show them what happens when they mess with the Sailor Sc-"

"SHHH!" Mina cried again, clamping her hand over Lita's mouth and looking left and right suspiciously. Her eyes widened suddenly, "EUGH!" she cried again and let go of Lita, jumping back and wiping her hand on her friends' uniform. "You guys' are so gross." She grimaced and Lita just smirked.

"Serves you right." she responded simply.

"Alright class." Miss Haruna called the class to attention as she took a register. Amy packed away her computer and sighed slightly, frowning thoughtfully as she sadly looked to Gohans' empty seat. Shaking her head, she tried to focus on making notes about whatever they were learning today. Though it didn't feel important, she knew they needed to keep on top of their civilian lives too.

All four pairs of eyes widened when, simultaneously, the Scouts' communicators began to beep.

"Girls!" scolded Miss Haruna, "No cell phones dur-"

"SORRY MISS H!" Serena cried as the girls jumped to their feet, "SEE YOU IN DETENTION!" she squealed as they ran from the classroom.

"What's up Rei?" Lita asked as the girls ran towards the school gates, looking into the projection of Sailor Mars on her wristwatch.

"There's another Shadow Senshi attacking my school! It's stealing everyone's souls!" she cried, "I'll hold it off for as long as I can guys!"

"We're on our way!" the four said in unison before transforming into Sailor Scouts and, with new energy, running at full speed towards her school.

"Don't monsters ever want to sleep in?" yawned Sailor Moon, "Why do they have to attack so early? This is exhausting!"

They could hear screaming up ahead as they rounded the corner to Rei's school and ran inside, following the sounds of commotion.

"Alright you creep from the nega-verse, prepare to be moon dusted!" Sailor Moon cried as she and the other Sailor Scouts came face to face with their new opponent. "I am Sailor Moon, the champion of love and justice!"

"And we are the Sailor Scouts!" chorused her team.

"We shall right wrongs and triumph over evil," Sailor Moon announced, as usual and waved her arms in her signature sequence, "and that means you!" she finished, pointing to the floating creature.

"About time you guys got here!" growled a struggling Sailor Mars.

"Mars!" Sailor Moon cried, horrified and ran over to her friend. "Are you alright?" she helped her struggling friend to her feet.

"She sure packs a punch." hissed Sailor Mars, leaning her weight on her leader and looking to the creature with a furious glare. "She's already absorbed all my attacks guys." She warned and the Scouts nodded.

"Well, let's just see how she deals with the power of Venus!" cried Sailor Venus, powering up. "Venus Crescent Beam-" she began.

"NO!" Sailor Mercury cried, grabbing onto her friends' hands. "Remember, she'll just absorb the attack and turn it against us."

"Well remembered Sailor Mercury." smirked a deep voice that made the Scouts gasp. Right before their very eyes, Super Saiyan Gohan seemed to materialise beside the Shadow Senshi.

"GOHAN!" gasped the Sailor Scouts.

He smirked at the Scouts, his eyes flashing with lightening before snapping towards the Shadow Senshi beside him. "Well, get on with it." he demanded and the Senshi jumped slightly before nodding and attacking the remaining students around with a cackle, drawing their souls from their bodies and sending them to her Saiyan master.

He chuckled darkly and watched as the souls flew into his hands and disappeared, as he used Nikiko's powers to send them to her. _Soon, the dark crystal would be powerful enough for her plans._

"I can't let them do this! Mercury Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury cried, firing her wave of magical water at the Senshi. "We have to weaken it somehow!" she cried as the Senshi giggled before spinning and absorbing her attack.

"Like this!" Sailor Jupiter cried and charged at the Shadow Senshi with a powerful battle cry, fists raised and poised to punch.

The Senshi giggled again before spinning and sending an aqua illusion imitation attack, surrounding a flaming arrow; mimicking Mars' flame shooter.

Sailor Jupiter screamed as she met the attack head on.

"NO! JUPITETR!" Sailor Moon screamed before turning to Sailor Venus, "Take care of Mars." She said quietly, summoning her Kaleidomoon Scope.

"You're going down, you beast!" she cried, bravely taking a readying stance. Gohan's eyes snapped towards Sailor Moon as he sensed her power level rising and realised she was going to attack. "Moon Gorgeous-" she began.

"Oh no you don't Sailor Moon." growled Gohan, sending a powerful ki blast in her direction.

"Look out Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mars and Venus cried in unison, unable to go move fast enough to go to her aid.

"Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber!" Came a voice and Gohan growled in irritation as another beam of energy collided with his attack.

"Tuxedo Mask... Typical." He spat and, sure enough, the smoke cleared so show Tuxedo Mask standing guard in front of Sailor Moon; having appeared just in time to deflect the blow with his own ki attack.

"Gohan, snap out of it!" he shouted at his friend, concern clouding his handsome blue eyes.

Gohan narrowed his eyes at Tuxedo Mask and opened his mouth to respond, when his eyes suddenly snapped over to Sailor Mercury, who had screamed in fear. The Senshi cackled maliciously as she sent another flaming shooter, surrounded by the aqua illusion wave towards the Sailor Solider of Water and Intelligence.

Sailor Mercury seemed to have suffered a few blows from the attack already and was struggling to get to her feet. Her body shook under her own weight and she glared up at the Senshi that was poised to attack her at any moment.

With a superior cackle, the Senshi sent another attack and the Scouts called out to Sailor Mercury in distress, horrified at her defencelessness. The Solider closed her eyes and prepared for the attack but, peaking through one of her eyes, she was surprised to hear it collide and felt no pain.

"Get out of here." Gohan growled, having appeared in front of her and absorbed the blow from the attack without any difficulty. He glared up at the Shadow Senshi, that was staring at him in confusion.

Sailor Mercury was frozen to the spot, staring at Gohan in shock. His fists clenched and he growled angrily at her lack of response. "GO!" he shouted, "I'll hold it off!"

"Gohan..." she said quietly, her eyes softening as she gazed at him.

Without waiting for her words, he flew up to the Shadow Senshi and punched it in the gut. The Senshi screamed in pain and held her gut, gasping for air. Gohan wasted no time in sending a powerful blow to its' head by kneeing it in the face and then punching it again multiple times in its' torso before, with another powerful kick, he sent it flying to the ground in a weak mass.

"NOW SAILOR MOON!" he called down to her before screaming in pain and grabbing on to his own head. He panted for breath as he tried to regain control, "No... no." He groaned, crying out in pain once more.

The Shadow Senshi seemed to groan in pain, trying to crawl away from the scene to recover but screamed as her hands and feet were suddenly pinned down by powerful magical roses.

"Do it Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask cried, pulling his girlfriend to her feet and she nodded.

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" she cried, feeling the power of her crystal flow through her body and eject from her kelidomoon scope in a powerful wave of energy. With a scream of pain, the Shadow Senshi crumbled into dust and disappeared with the wind.

"GOHAN!" Sailor Mercury called out, horrified at what she was seeing.

Gohan seemed to be struggling to stay afloat as he held his head, crying out in pain. Electricity pulsed around the aura of golden energy that surrounded him. Tears seemed to brim in Sailor Mercury's eyes as she watched him in his mental struggle, helplessly trying to fight against Nikiko's power. The Scouts gasped as Gohan was suddenly surrounded by a whirl of black energy and, within a blink of an eye, he was gone.

"Mercury, are you alright?" Sailor Moon asked gently, approaching her friend with kind eyes.

"He saved me." she said quietly and Sailor Moon nodded, a weak smile gracing her beautiful face.

"Don't worry, we'll get him back. He's still fighting and so are we." she comforted and Sailor Mercury nodded, hugging her Princess as she felt her tears silently fall.

"Are the students ok?" Sailor Moon asked Tuxedo Mask over her friends' shoulder. He carefully approached the victims of Nikiko's latest attack, checking a few over before sighing sadly and shaking his head.

"She got their souls before we could destroy the Shadow Senshi." He spoke solemnly and Sailor Moon look to the ground sadly, guilt building up inside her.

How many more innocent people would have to suffer before this evil could finally be destroyed?

"Will you see if Sailor Jupiter is alright?" she asked quietly and he nodded, approaching the unconscious Sailor Scout of Jupiter and lifting her into his arms, bridal style, to carry her home with them.

"Um, not to be off-topic or anything," Sailor Venus spoke, her tone a little lighter than her grievous leaders, "but did anyone else notice Gohan had a tail?"

* * *

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Sorry about the massive delay in this update! I've actually really been struggling to write this chapter since I was quite conflicted about Nailah's explanation of the infection. Should she tell her back story in it, should she not? I decided on not. I've been kind of busy studying too. But here's an update as a Christmas present to everyone who's kept with the story so far! I hope you enjoy it and have a very merry Christmas!


	17. Chapter 17

Blinking in the darkness, Darien didn't immediately realise what woke him up in the middle of that night until he felt something, no someone, shaking in his arms. He looked down and realised that his Serena, his precious little bunny, was shaking and silently crying while he slept. His hold around her tightened and he held her closer, gently stroking her hair and trying to comfort her. Her body froze for but a moment before she relaxed and welcomed his embrace, snuggling her head closer against his bare chest and feeling his warmth surrounding her; slowly edging away her fears.

"I- I didn't mean to wake you." she apologised quietly with a sniff.

He cupped her face and gently tilted her head so she could look at him. He traced his thumb on her cheeks, wiping the tears from her face as he stared into her beautiful blue orbs.

"Serena, what's wrong?" he whispered into the darkness. Her eyes seemed laden with grief, fear and sorrow; he'd never seen her looking so shaken up.

"I-" she began but shrieked in fright and cuddled herself further into Darien's chest; her entire body completely tense as a sudden bolt of lightning flashed across Darien's bedroom window, shortly followed by a loud thunder from the storm that raged outside. He now recalled her intense fear of thunderstorms and held her protectively, trying to calm her.

"It's just a storm." he said quietly, stroking her hair gently. She looked up at him again after relaxing in his arms, feeling comforted.

She shook her head weakly, "It's not the storm." she said quietly, "I had a dream..." she shuddered from her thoughts, "or well, more like a nightmare."

"You want to talk about it?" he asked her gently and she shook her head. He nodded acceptingly and continued to comfort her, kissing her forehead gently as he wondered what she could have possibly seen to put her in such a state.

Serena mentally relived her vivid nightmare and was unable to speak of it aloud; their lifeless bodies kept flashing across her mind. Her family... her friends... especially her beloved Darien; she cuddled closer to him subconsciously, if not only to reassure herself that it was only a dream and he was very much alive. Slowly, she slipped back into a dreamless sleep and could not recall what had caused her intense fear the next morning.

With an intense battle cry, the Sailor Scouts punched and kicked in their furious battle. A thin film of sweat coated all their bodies and they panted for breath, straining against the intense gravity and pushing themselves even further past their exhausted state in the last couple of hours. Sailor Moon screamed and had managed to duck, just in time to avoid a strong black beam of dark energy that flew from Nailah's outstretched palms, as she too panted in exhaustion.

"Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber!" Tuxedo Mask cried, his hand outstretched and a beam of white energy erupted and collided with the Nikojin's attack. The Scouts dived out of the way to avoid the impact from the attacks, but were quickly back on their feet and resumed their battles in the gravity intensified room; Mars against Mercury, Venus against Jupiter and Neptune against Uranus. Tuxedo Mask was to team up with Sailor Moon against Nailah, but it wasn't working well so far. The Moon Princess groaned as she tried to recover from the backlash of the explosion.

But Tuxedo Mask had no time to check on his beloved, as he quickly and turned around and extended his magical cane, painfully hitting the Nikoten Princess in the gut. She gasped slightly and was knocked off balance from her movement. She quickly recovered and crouched on all fours, hissing in a very cat-like manner; the pupils of her intense hazel eyes seemed to narrow into cat-like slits before returning to normal. She regained her composure and simply smirked at her opponent.

"Impressive." she purred and Tuxedo Mask smirked in response, taking a guarded stance in front of Sailor Moon. Nailah had used her energy attack to simply buy some time to manoeuvre and was pleased that he had picked up on that and reacted well; their training was clearly paying off.

"WE AGREED ON NO ENERGY ATTACKS!" Sailor Moon shrieked; she sat on her knees and panting for breath, looking like a small child as she cutely glared at both, Tuxedo Mask and Nailah.

"Never trust the word of your enemy." winked Nailah; she shook for a few moments on her feet, trying to support her own weight before finally gasping for breath and collapsing onto the floor.

"Nailah!" Sailor Moon gasped and the Scouts seemed to freeze in their movements, looking to the cause of the panic quite suddenly. The Nikoten Princess clenched her eyes shut, forcing away the pain she felt in her tired and weak muscles as she tried to relax, panting for breath and trying to steady her heartbeat.

"I think-" panted Sailor Mercury, doubled over with her hands clutching her knees for support, "-now might be a good time to stop."

With an agreeing nod from her surrounding group, Sailor Mercury struggled over to the control panel and restored the system to normal Earth gravity. There was a collective sigh of relief as the additional weight on the Scouts was released. Mercury's widened slightly as she noted the gravity level they'd been training at.

"Uh, Nailah?" Sailor Mercury called tentatively.

The Nikoten Princess was lying on her back, covering in sweat and panting for breath; slowly recovering from the intensive training session and trying to steady her heart. She had no energy to respond vocally and weakly shifted her gaze towards the Sailor Scout of Intelligence, waiting for her to continue.

"Did you mean to set the gravity intensity to 40?"

"WHAT?" gasped Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus; they too had collapsed onto the floor and were trying to catch their breath.

Nailah smiled weakly before closing her eyes, having finally regained her breath but still feeling weak and worn out. "Yes Mercury, I did. I've been increasing the gravity level each week."

"So that's why they've been getting tougher!" gasped Sailor Venus, a look of understanding suddenly crossing over her face. She glared playfully at the Nikojin, "You could've warned us!"

"What difference would that have made?" snorted the Nikoten Princess, finally struggling to her feet, "We don't have the time for patience." Her eyes darkened momentarily as she frowned and looked as though she wished to say something but then thought better of it. Shaking her head slightly, she sighed and looked calmly to the Scouts that were exhaustedly splayed on the floor surrounding her. "We can't wait for you all to **master** each gravity level before we increase it. So I've been increasing it each week. Your bodies will adapt easily enough." Her eyes settled on Sailor Moon, "Though, you may struggle more than the others Moon Princess."

Sailor Moon raised an eyebrow at Nailah in momentary confusion.

"The Moon isn't exactly known to have a strong gravity level, of all the planets in this solar system." Nailah elaborated, "The most adaptable amongst you, to high gravity, should actually be Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Neptune and the Prince."

Sailor Moon pouted and turned her head away, "No fair." she grumbled, making her friends giggle and a tender smile crossed Tuxedo Masks' face.

"Hey, how about we get some food? Man, I'm starved!" cried Sailor Jupiter, de-transforming into her civilian form of Lita Kino. A loud grumbling sound echoed around the room and all faces turned towards Sailor Moon, who blushed brightly and held her hands over her stomach. She grinned sheepishly as the group laughed at her.

"Sounds good to me! I could sure use one of Andrews' burgers after that work out." laughed Sailor Venus, following suit and de-transforming into Mina Aino once more. She got to her feet with a bright and bubbly grin on her face and, after a small pause while the others returned to their civilian forms; they began to head out of the gravity training room.

Serena paused in the doorway, the bright grin that usually appeared on her face at the prospect of food vanished momentarily and she looked back to Nailah, who was crouching over the machinery of the training room and reviewing the visualisations of their recent session.

"Hey, Nailah? Aren't you coming?" Serena asked with a gentle smile; Darien and the Scouts stopped in their tracks, turning back with a gentle smile at the kind and caring nature of their leader.

The Nikoten Princess seemed startled at the invitation and gazed intently at Serena for a few moments, "I need to review the training session." She spoke carefully, as though choosing her words specifically.

Serena seemed startled, almost certain that she saw Nailah wince before she had responded. She smiled gently with a soft gaze, "You can't work all the time! You need to have fun once in a while, you know. You must be hungry too!" she laughed slightly with a gleam in her bright blue eyes.

Nailah's eyes narrowed slightly but she stayed where she was, "Thank you for your offer, Princess. But I must humbly decline." She then smiled weakly, "Perhaps next time."

Serena frowned slightly, a sad look crossing her face before she nodded and continued with the rest of the team towards Crown Game Centre.

Nailah waited until she sensed the Scouts and Darien leave the building before collapsing to her knees and gripping the control panel with all her energy. She managed to weakly pull herself into a sitting position and leant against the cold metal wall of the panel, behind which a complex mechanism of wires was hidden. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back and gasping for breath. She tried to steady her heartbeat, knowing that she had possibly overexerted herself in this last session by using more ki attacks.

But she had to prepare them.

She weakly opened her eyes and, swallowing her pride, looked to the veins on her wrist and her jaw hardened at what she saw. With a sigh, she closed her eyes once more and continued to try to steady her racing heartbeat.

"You're weakening Nikojin." Vegeta commented, slyly stood in the doorway.

Nailah's eyes flashed open, startled by the voice of the Saiyan Prince. She hadn't sensed him- of course. He had been hiding his ki so he could observe her when she was alone. Her gazed hardened as they met the dark centres of his eyes and she said nothing, neither confirming nor disagreeing with his statement.

His eyes narrowed momentarily as she sensed the strangeness before, with a grunt, he left. With a sigh, Nailah closed her eyes once more and returned to her personal post-training exercises.

"Oh I **hate** thunder storms!" squealed Serena, quickly running into the arcade, forgetting that her shoes were going to be soaking and slippery. "AHHH!" she screamed as she lost all grip and ability to stop, sliding on the tiled floors and into the breakfast bar with an UMPH.

She groaned weakly before pulling herself onto a bar stool and giving Andrew, the cute college student who practically ran the arcade and Dariens' best friend, an attractive grin. "Hi Andrew!" she greeted brightly while he was just laughing, far too aware that that had probably been one of Serena's more graceful entrances.

"Smooth Meatball Head, smooth." teased Darien with a grin, taking up the seat next to her and taking her hand in his own. She shot him a playfully annoyed glare before grinning sheepishly.

"Hey Andrew!" greeted the other Scouts, following their Prince and Princess and taking seats at the bar instead of a booth.

"Hey everyone." grinned Andrew, flicking his sandy blonde hair from his happy brown eyes, "What'll it be?" and he quickly got set to work, when they placed their orders.

"So how's it going?" Darien asked his friend casually as he was served his usual cup of coffee.

"Not bad," sighed Andrew, "but it's been pretty slow today."

"Oh, because of the storm?" joined Serena, sipping her chocolate milkshake happily.

Andrew nodded with a gentle smile, "Yeah. The weather reports say it's going to be like this for the next couple of days."

"Well, the sunshine couldn't last forever." Lita chimed in with a weak smile. "I personally love storms." She sighed, leaning her elbow on the counter top and comfortably resting her head on her palm.

"Speak for yourself." Serena grumbled bitterly before she continued to sip at her milkshake. Darien glanced at Serena before smiling weakly.

"They're not that bad you know. They're not going to hurt you." he, again, tried to comfort. It was the same conversation every time a storm struck their city.

"Darien, don't start with me!" she scolded with an angry pout, going almost cross-eyed as she stored into her drink. He chuckled slightly before dropping the subject.

There was gentle chatter amongst their group as they dined, but one usually very animated and involved character seemed unnaturally silent; as was her partner. Darien and Serena both seemed to be buried in deep thought.

"Hey, what's got those two so down?" Andrew asked the Scouts with a worried expression. Sure, Darien was moody quite often. But something keeping Serena quiet? Now that was news. Amy and Rei exchanged a worried expression before nudging Lita. She quickly blinked and nudged Mina, who in return, nudged Darien out of his trance. He seemed to stare at the group in surprise, as though he hadn't even realised they were there.

"Penny for your thoughts guys?" she asked cheerily and he frowned slightly before shaking his head.

"Well, what's up with Serena then?" Andrew asked and Darien glanced at his girlfriend with a worried expression.

"Serena," he called to her quietly, moving closer so that no one would overhear, "what's wrong?"

She seemed startled to be brought out of her thoughts, which was strange enough to have him worried. She was thinking and thinking hard. She looked at him with surprise for a moment before looking back down to her empty plate of food with a slight tinge of pink rising to her cheeks.

"Uh, nothing." she muttered quietly, knowing no one would believe her. She quickly grinned brightly with her usual cheery demeanour. "Honestly, you all worry too much!" she waved off their concerned expressions, giggling slightly. "I'm just tired. I need sleep. I mean, all that school and getting up in the morning! It starts so early! It really can't be good for a person."

Andrew laughed, but he was one of the few who did. Mina and Lita had joined him with a few giggles, but Amy and Rei weren't fooled so quickly. Nor, obviously, was Darien.

"How about I walk you home then? You could probably use a nap before you fall asleep on your plate." He suggested; a cheeky grin crossed his face but his eyes were filled with concern for his beloved girlfriend.

"Yeah, then you really would have meatballs on your head." winked Rei, quickly catching on to Darien's plan.

"It'd take some really good shampoo to get that stuff out. You just end up smelling like sauce for a week otherwise!" warned Mina, shaking her finger at Serena with a knowledgeable frown, "Trust me on that one."

Serena raised an eyebrow at her friend, "How would you know how that?"

Mina tapped her nose with a grin and winked again, "A good chicken never quacks!"

"A good...what? MINA." Rei scolded, slapping her forehead with her hand in irritation. Mina seemed genuinely confused.

"What?"

There was a collective exasperated sigh amongst the group, Mina's knowledge of idioms was clearly lacking.

"Never mind Mina, you'll get there someday." Amy sighed, patronisingly patting her friends' shoulder.

Darien took this opportunity to quietly lead Serena out of arcade, knowing that teasing their friend would keep the Scouts distracted for a while.

"We're not actually going home are we?" Serena asked, cuddling closer to Darien as they walked quickly through the storm.

"I thought we'd head back to my place; it's closer." He replied and Serena nodded, deciding to focus her energy on actually getting to Darien's apartment and not screaming through the storm.

"I'm worried about Nailah." she admitted quietly once they had finally arrived and he'd made her some hot chocolate to warm her up. She leant against the counter top of his small kitchen, while he similarly leant on the other side and sipped his coffee, frowning thoughtfully as he waited for her to continue.

She sighed, not meeting his eyes and, instead, stared at the liquid, chocolate goodness she held in her hands. "I mean, she must be really lonely and worried and everything. She's got to try to recover her planet and she can't do it alone. But, I don't know if we're strong enough." Her voice seemed to go quiet as she made her last point. Darien moved beside her and placed his arm around her.

"That's why we're training Serena." He spoke gently, rubbing his hand up and down her arm, "We're getting stronger so we have a better chance against Nikiko and Gohan."

He heard a small gasp escape her mouth at the mention of Gohan. She continued to stare sadly into her drink, "Wh- What if we can't change him back?" she questioned weakly. He knew that this was a thought that was troubling, not just her, but everyone else in their team. "What if we can't restore the souls that were stolen? What if we're not strong enough Darien?" she looked up into his stormy blue eyes with sadness and worry.

He gazed back at her gently. She was voicing the thoughts that were running through the minds of their entire team, but he knew she couldn't bare the guilt as well as the rest of them could.

"Don't think like that Serena." he said gently, "We will bring him back. We'll bring everyone back and it'll be alright, you'll see." He smiled weakly and she continued to gaze at him before looking back down to her drink and taking a small sip. He couldn't help frowning, "That's not all that's bothering you, is it?"

She shook her head gently, but refused to look into his face as she spoke once more. "I know Nailah hasn't been telling us everything, but I can see something's troubling her." she sipped her drink again and he patiently waited for her to continue, "Darien," she looked into his face once more and he could see the guilt, sadness and concern in her sparkling blue eyes, "I- I think our training is draining her energy." She looked down again with an almost guilty expression. "She seems weaker than when we first started."

Darien seemed startled at these words but wasn't very surprised, he'd noticed it too.

"I noticed it too." he admitted and she looked at him again. This time, he was staring blankly and unseeingly ahead, frowning in thought as he spoke, "You might be right Serena. I thought we might just be getting stronger, so we were putting up a tougher fight. But she seemed really- well, really drained after today."

"But- but how could **we** be the ones draining her energy? Our attacks don't work like that!" she said rather desperately as she tried to protest against her own logic and Darien continued to frown in thought.

"I know," he replied gently, "That's what worries me."

They remained like that for a while, in silence and lost in their own thoughts about their current predicament and both worrying about the future. Serena suddenly blinked, as though a memory had flashed through her mind and she looked suddenly to Darien with a frown. He seemed rather startled by her sudden movement but returned her look with a curious stare, waiting for her to speak.

"Why were you so quiet earlier?" she asked.

"When?"

"At the arcade." she frowned, how could he not remember? He seemed to frown and thought for a few moments before a look or realisation came to his face, which was quickly followed by a darkened frown once more.

He was clearly spending too much time with her, if his face was becoming so emotionally expressive, Serena mused to herself, though, he was probably only like that around her.

"I was thinking about Gohan and the attack on Rei." he explained.

Serena frowned but waited, silently urging him to elaborate. He sighed and then continued.

"He knows all of our true identities. So, that means Nikiko probably knows them too. I was thinking that, maybe the attack of Rei's school wasn't just a coincidence? Maybe they were trying to get Rei? They'd have the souls from her school, for God knows what reason; and a Sailor Scout would be down."

Serena's eyes widened as she absorbed the truth behind his reasoning, but, for once, she remained silent as he continued.

"So I was just thinking that it's too risky for all of us to be alone in our civilian forms now. If we're not strong enough to defeat her as a team, then we're definitely not strong enough to defeat her if we're on our own. She'll probably try to take us down one at a time when we're most vulnerable. It would make it easier for her to get to the Silver Crystal if the Scouts aren't there to protect you."

Serena looked stricken at the thought of being taken away from her dearest friends, "She's after the Golden Crystal too, Darien. You need to be careful." She warned gently, but her voice shook with fear and worry.

He smiled grimly, "Don't worry about me Serena. I can take care of myself."

She frowned disbelievingly, "Darien, besides me, Michelle and Amara, none of you can really defeat the Shadow Senshi; they'll just absorb your attacks."

His expression was grim and his fists clenched in bitterness of their situation.

"So, what can we do?" Serena asked quietly, her voice shaking again. She desperately fought the urge to use her communicator and call her friends, just to check that they were ok without her. "We can't stick together **all** the time. It's too suspicious when we're trying to be normal."

Darien nodded, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking." He looked at her with a determined gaze, "So I thought it might be a good idea to try to use my crystal and reawaken the Shitennou Guardians."

"Uh, Serena? Hello?" Darien waved a hand in front of her face as she stared at him, gaping for what had been a good 30 seconds.

She slapped his hand away from her face and he jumped slightly, looking surprised but somewhat amused as she glared at him.

"What?" he asked her, with a rather nonchalant air.

"Don't you 'what' me! Are you crazy? WHY WOULD WE BRING THEM BACK TO LIFE?!" she shrieked.

Darien winced at her tone but replied calmly, "If we bring them back, we can assign each of them to guard one of Scouts who can't defend themselves. That way, they will have someone to battle them who are trained, combat fighters." He looked down, frowning slightly before looking back into Serena's horrified gaze. "It'll at least buy us some time until the rest of us can get there."

"You can't use the crystal like that!" she spluttered, her voice becoming rather high pitched. Darien winced again at her high pitch and felt a déjà vu of all their arguing before they truly fell in love. The corner of his mouth twitched as he resisted the urge to smile. Such a move would only get him in more trouble with the squeaking princess.

"Serena, we don't even know what the crystal can do." he countered calmly, "We've not really tried using it on its' own."

"Exactly!" she shrieked and leapt away from his side, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips and glaring furiously up into his face. "We don't know what it can do! We know it's powerful but we don't even know if you can control it yet!" she began to pace back and forth in his kitchen, waving her hands about very erratically as she tried to express herself. "What if the power it takes to revive them makes **you** vulnerable? What would be the point of bringing them back then? They'd be using **your** energy through the crystal to survive and it would just make you an easier target! And even if that doesn't happen, we don't know if they'd be on our side once we brought them back! Beryl's brainwashing might not have disappeared when she died or when they died! They might just come back and try to kill us like they did before! Then we have **more** stuff to try to worry about! And what if-"

Darien watched his little bunny pace back and forth with a rather amused expression. Normally he was the one getting worked up with worry, pacing and pulling at his hair, running over every possible thing that could go wrong with their plan. Darien panicked slightly as he noticed Serena's hands were shaking, and her voice was becoming more emotional.

He grabbed her shoulders to make her stop her movements and stand in front of him. She continued to mumble quiet arguments, but made no move against his grip. He could feel her small frame shaking under his hands and he gently used his finger to make her tilt her head upwards to look him in the eyes. He was startled to see she was near tears.

"Serena?" he questioned gently, worry evident in his tone and his concerned expression.

She bit her lip before launching herself into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist and sobbing quietly into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her gently and stroked her back to try to calm her.

"I- I can't lose you Darien." she sobbed quietly, "I know what the crystal does to me when I used it. I- I don't want you to go through that."

He winced as he recalled her use of the crystal. Sure, it helped her transform into Sailor Moon, but whenever she had used it as a weapon in battle, she had needed days, sometimes over a week, of constant rest to recover. It pained him to think of how weak she would be after using the crystal; risking her life for the sake of her friends.

But, that's what he wanted to do now. Now that he knew he had the power to defend them, he wanted to be able to protect the people he cared about and the people who were dearest to her. He wanted to ease her worries the best way he could, by doing his duty as her protector and the protector of the Sailor Scouts; and he told her this.

"Besides," he continued, now that she had calmed down, "I've got to learn to use the thing at some point. I haven't really had much of a chance to practice with it." He smiled weakly as he heard and felt her giggle.

She looked up at him with her eyes bright and glossy from her recently shed tears, "I guess you're right." she said finally.

He couldn't resist and winked at her with a cheeky grin, "As always. I could get used to you actually admitting it though."

She glared at him playfully, scrunching her nose and narrowing her eyes at his words. He chuckled and smiled at her cute face.

"I think we should probably talk to the others before we go through with it." she said gently and he nodded in agreement.

"Now or after we've done some studying?" he questioned and he heard her groan, slamming her forehead into his chest. "I did promise I'd help you study." he reminded her with a smile.

She grumbled some incoherent choice words against his chest about her studies and where he could shove his help. He just laughed and pulled her into his lounge, grabbing her bag and pulling out her textbooks.

"So, let's go over quadratic equations and polynomials." He began and she groaned in depression, while his eyes glinted with amusement and he resisted the urge to grin.

* * *

**A/N: **HEY EVERYONE. Sorry about the MASSIVE delay in this update.. I've been busy! I'll try to update again soon. I know not much happens in this chapter, but I've got a lot more planned. Hope you enjoyed it!


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **I am very VERY sorry for the massive delay in this update. I've had exams over the last few weeks and I've been thrust back into second semester straight after them too. I will tell you now, lectures running 9am - 6pm is NOT fun. This is the first chance I've had since then to do anything. Hope you enjoyed it and I'll try and update as regularly as I can, given the workload I'm bound to receive now that uni's started again, I don't know how often it will be. I've replied to some guest reviews at the bottom of the page since I wasn't too sure how else to reply soo please read those!

**A/N 2: **I read this story online that I absolutely ADORE and I HAVE to recommend it to you. Even if you're not a sailor moon fan, I would recommend reading this since it's based in an alternate universe so you don't need to know the sailor moon story to understand it. The only relation it has to Sailor Moon is that it uses the characters names. It takes a couple of chapters to get into, but after that, it's so well done as a story that I was literally glued to my computer for two days reading it. (Also, it appears as though FanFiction won't allow me to share the link properly, so just remove the spaces and obviously put the dot com in properly then it should be fine..)

sailormoonfiction DOT COM /revolution / view story DOT php ?sid=445&warning=4

* * *

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" shrieked Mina.

Darien winced slightly at the girls' high pitch, which he couldn't help thinking was quite a match for Serena. He sat in a booth at – you guessed it – Crown Game Centre with the civilian forms of our famous heroes, the Sailor Scouts after they had finished their daily training session with Nailah and he had just finished informing them of his plan to revive the Shitennou Guardians.

"That's what I said!" squeaked Serena, looking somewhat pleased that she wasn't the only one objecting to the plan.

"Why would we want to bring those guys back to life?" Mina continued, looking very bitter and unimpressed with the idea. "We can protect ourselves just fine!"

"Yeah! We don't need their nega-trash getting in the way!" agreed Lita with a furious glint in her forest green eyes.

Darien frowned at her as he took a sip from his usual coffee before speaking, "You know, they were my Guardians during the Silver Millennium before they were brainwashed by Beryl." he calmly retorted and Lita flushed slightly.

"Oh... uh, yeah, I forgot about that." she stuttered out in embarrassment.

"Darien, we don't know if it'll be safe." Rei spoke gently, more wary of his feelings towards his past guardians than her friends had been, "They might still be under Beryl's control-"

"I said that too!" Serena cut in smugly but quickly looked down to her milkshake again when Rei shot her a rather dirty look.

Rei turned her gaze gently back to Darien and continued, "As I was saying, they might still be under Beryl's control and we can't guarantee that they wouldn't betray us again even if they aren't." She looked rather warily at Darien's handsome face, "I just think that reviving them might just create more problems than it would solve."

"Personally, I think it's quite a good idea." Amy said quietly, not looking up from her milkshake.

"You do?" chorused the table, Darien included. He was beginning not to expect any support on this plan from any of the Scouts, but was pleased to be wrong.

Amy looked up at them and nodded with a small smile, "Yes. I, for one, would appreciate having someone to protect me when I'm alone." She looked down again, a small tinge of pink rising in her cheeks before she continued, "I know I'm not as strong as the rest of you and I think it would be very easy for me to be defeated by a Shadow Senshi if I had to face one alone. I- I'd just feel safer if I knew I wasn't going to be in that situation." She finished in a quiet voice.

The caring and understanding gaze being emitted from her fellow Scouts was very embarrassing for the Solider of Mercury.

"I agree with Amy." Amara added, startling the table. She and Michelle had been momentarily forgotten during the discussion. They had weapons to defend themselves and, therefore, hadn't been taken into account for the Shitennou's protection.

Amy sent a grateful smile in Amara's direction, and Michelle continued to sip her tea with a gentle smile gracing her face. She spoke as though she were continuing Amara's unsaid thoughts, "It would be safer for the Guardians of the Princess to be protected at all times by the Guardians of the Prince. They're trained combatants, so their abilities will prove more useful against the Shadow Senshi than our magical attacks."

"But what about all our training with Nailah?" gasped Mina. Her pride as the leader of the Sailor Guardians was beginning to show as she continued to refuse the additional protection, "The whole point of our training with her was so that we could face the Shadow Senshi without our magic!"

"They would be too powerful for any of you to face alone." Amara countered with a stern gaze, "You would be foolish to even try."

"You did." Mina spat bitterly, before clasping her hands over her mouth and flushing in embarrassment. She had never been so rude to Amara or Michelle before, having always respected and idolized the elder and more powerful sailor soldiers.

Amara's eyes narrowed and Michelle sent her partner a warning look, stopping the argument before it could continue. Darien hastily intervened, should Amara decide to ignore Michelle's silent request for once.

"But that's the point I'm trying to make Mina. Amara, Michelle and Serena all have their weapons to channel their magic, so the Shadow Senshi can't absorb their attacks. I just want to-"

"But what about you?" Mina cut across quite rudely, "You're the one they're after really, more than us at least since you've got the Golden Crystal! What if they try to come after you when you're alone?"

"Yeah! You need the Shitennou more than we do." agreed Lita, having found her voice once more.

"No, he doesn't." Serena spoke firmly and very suddenly that it startled her Guardians momentarily. All eyes turned to her and she looked to her friends with a determined, yet caring gaze, "I'll be with Darien and I can protect him."

"Serena, I'm perfectly capable-" He started but was silenced by the stern look on her usually bright and innocent face.

A flash of admiration and respect rose in the eyes of the older Sailor Scouts, Amara and Michelle, as they saw their future Queen shining through the simple 15 year old girl.

"We will protect each other." she continued, looking sternly at Darien before turning back to her friends. "But, I know I won't be able to sleep at night if I feel like any of you are in danger. I think Darien's right. We should revive the Shitennou and ask them to guard each of you until we can, at least, get Gohan back on our side."

Mina's fists clenched as she glared bitterly at Serena, hating the idea of needing a guard. There was something so demeaning about it. Having been a Sailor Scout before any of the others, she had never felt the need to be taken care of; only ever the need to take care of others and protect her Princess, her future Queen.

"And what if they're still evil?" she spat, unable to control her words, "What if reviving them just sends them crawling to Nikiko and makes more problems for us?"

The table was silent for a moment as they all considered this. Would it really be worth it?

"We could revive Nephrite first, as a test." Darien stated, his eyes widening as though he had suddenly had an epiphany.

Serena's eyes widened with the same realisation and she couldn't restrain from grinning, "Yes! We could see how much he remembers and whether or not he's willing to help us! And he won't try to attack us because of his love for Molly!" Serena clapped her hands gleefully; her childish mannerisms returning and she excitedly finished her milkshake. "AH! BRAINFREEZE!" she squealed and the table erupted with laughter at her expense. Within the blink of an eye, future Queen was regular Serena once more.

"So when should we do it?" Amy asked nonchalantly, finishing her own milkshake with a smile.

"How about after training tomorrow? Then Nailah can be there too and we can get them to help us train?" offered Rei with a gentle smile.

"But what if you're attacked tonight?" Serena questioned with a nervous look.

"Serena, come on! Nikiko hasn't attacked for weeks!" grinned Lita, but her grin fell as she realised her words hadn't comforted the Moon Princess.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about." she admitted quietly, looking down at her clasped hands.

"Well then we can't let our guard down." Mina said with a determined air about her, clearly wanting to prove that she didn't need protection. "We'll stick together until we can revive the Shitennou."

"We could all just crash at the temple until tomorrow?" suggested Lita.

"I don't think we'll be needed." Michelle smiled gently, taking Amara's hand in her own. "We will contact you with our communicators if there is anything unusual that we can't handle."

Amara smirked at her partner and gripped their now entwined hands. Together, they got to their feet and bit the group farewell.

Mina nodded as they left but then frowned at Darien, "You'll probably need to stick with us Darien. We need Sailor Moon around to kick butt, but she can't leave you since she is your guard after all."

"I'm her guard!" Darien objected with a scowl, feeling rather emasculated at the statement.

Serena frowned at her friend and looked to Darien with a raised eyebrow. Her thoughts were not hard to read; she did not want her friends staying overnight in the same room as her boyfriend.

Not that she didn't trust him, or her friends; quite the contrary. She trusted them with her life! But, sometimes... she could get a little... well...

Jealous.

Serena's eyes narrowed as she continued to glare at Darien, waiting for him to object to this idea.

"I guess that's-" he began, "OW!" he yelped, cutting across himself and looking to Serena with an accusing stare. He was about to ask her why she pinched him so violently, until he caught sight of her gaze.

The dangerous green eyed monster from within was due to emerge and, with a quick nervous glance to his beloved girlfriend, Darien turned back to the Scouts and laughed rather awkwardly.

"Uh, actually I don't think that'll be necessary Mina. I, uh, you know... There's probably not enough space and, well, you know, it wouldn't really be appropriate and, uh, my apartments not that far from the temple, so- so, me and Serena don't really need to stay over... I can get us both over there in no time if a Shadow Senshi shows up! You guys can hold one off for that long at least!" he laughed nervously and tried to sound teasing with his last statement, but the young princess seemed to have quite a tight hold on his hand.

The vice-like grip only seemed to get tighter as he spoke, whilst her face remained perfectly unreadable.

"I'm sure grandpa wouldn't mind-" Rei began.

"No no I don't want to impose!" insisted Darien, squeezing Serena's hand slightly in return, in an attempt to get her to relax her grip.

"Well, if you're sure-" she tried to continue with a curious frown.

"Very sure!" Darien cut across and Serena smiled brightly, releasing her hold on him and getting up from her seat.

"Well, it's late! See you guys tomorrow!" she cheered brightly, pulling Darien up to his feet with her and leading him out of arcade without a chance to refuse.

The girls left at the table stared after the couple with a curious expression.

"I don't get it." Rei finally said and Mina frowned at her.

"What?"

"They don't make sense." Rei frowned, rather angrily as she pondered the relationship between the Prince and Princess. "They're complete opposites."

"Ah! But that, my dear, is why they make PERFECT sense!" winked Mina, "As the Goddess of Love, you can take my word on that!" she giggled and Rei rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't be jealous Rei." chided Lita with a grin as she finished up her milkshake, "Their love's been through so much hardship and lasted for over a thousand years. Just because we don't get why they click doesn't mean they shouldn't. Clearly, they're doing something right." she laughed and sighed dreamily, thinking of what it would be like to fall so deeply and devotedly in love.

Rei just scoffed and finished her milkshake with a furiously jealous glint in her eye.

Yet, for once, the precautions taken by the Scouts were unnecessary. It seemed as though the sudden peace and inactivity Nikiko was allowing continued throughout the night and on through the next day.

Tuxedo Mask was panting, a thin layer of sweat lined his forehead as he faced the Nikoten Princess once more. She glared at him with a dangerous fury; her pupils seemed to be dilating more and more throughout their session, the intense amber of her eyes being replaced with black. This change didn't go unnoticed by the future king.

With a furious battle cry, Sailor Moon tried to attack Nailah and the two princess' seemed to engage in an intense zone of combat for a few moments, until Sailor Moon was suddenly knocked back and Tuxedo Mask charged forward to take her place.

"Good!" shouted Nailah as she began to defend herself against Tuxedo Masks' blows, "Don't use your eyes to check on each other! Use your connection!" she began to become more offensive, but Tuxedo Mask seemed ready and was matching her movements with ease.

He could feel his worry over Sailor Moon distracting him, but he could feel her energy wasn't too damaged. He knew she'd be fine, and sure enough, she was back on her feet.

"That's it!" encouraged Nailah, "Monitor her power level and you can monitor her health! A few bruises will make no difference and don't deserve your attention; so long as she is alive, that is enough! AH!" Nailah cried out in pain as she was suddenly knocked off her feet.

Sailor Moon had used this moment, when she was distracted by Tuxedo Mask, to leap into the air and aim a powerful kick at Nailah's face, knocking her straight off her feet and into the wall with a thundering BANG.

Sailor Moons' eyes widened as she witnessed the impact of her blow. The surrounding Scouts seemed to be stop their training as they heard the force of Nailah's collision and stared, wide eyed, at what their supposedly gentle leader had done.

"NAILAH!" she cried, rushing forwards, "OH NO! Are you ok? I'm so sorry! I just thought-"

Her hands were roughly shoved away and she was knocked back slightly, stumbling into Tuxedo Masks' arms. He glanced down at his beloved and saw the guilt and concern etched all over her beautiful face. She was a tender soul and never wished to hurt anyone; she clearly hadn't even realised her own improvement and believed her attack wouldn't even scratch the Nikoten Princess.

Nailah got to her feet and glared fiercely at Sailor Moon for a few moments before, after taking a deep breath, she nodded and her eyes seemed to return to a deeper shade of amber.

"Don't apologise to your enemy, Sailor Moon." Nailah replied, "That was good. You utilised my diverted attention to your advantage. With Tuxedo Mask as a distraction, you took your chance and, as you can see, it was a powerful blow." She turned her head and Sailor Moon gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth and her eyes widening, brimming with tears as she saw the bruise forming across the beautiful face of the Nikoten Princess.

"Oh Nailah." she whimpered quietly, "I'm so sorry!"

Nailah smiled at Sailor Moon, but it was an empty smile. Her eyes showed no happiness at the clear improvement of the Moon Princess' abilities.

"I've already told you not to apologise for this. It's a sign that you're ready for a tougher fight than I've been giving."

"You mean she's ready to face Gohan?" Sailor Venus asked in disbelief and Nailah shook her head, never taking her eyes from the glimmering blue of Sailor Moons'.

"No, but it means I need to be a tougher opponent for her." she frowned slightly, glancing over to the machinery in the centre of the room that controlled the gravity. "And, perhaps, I'm not increasing the gravity fast enough. The next session will be tougher, I can assure you."

The Scouts let out a groan and glared at Sailor Moon playfully. Tuxedo Mask couldn't help smiling and laughing slightly at the whine that escaped Sailor Moon.

"But gravity training is so hard! I just got used to this one! Why do we have to increase it again? WAHHHH!" Sailor Moon cried and Nailah seemed to stare at the future queen of the Earth with a look that showed concern for her sanity.

"Chill the waterworks Sailor Moon!" shouted Sailor Mars, glaring in playful irritation before turning her head away with a 'hmph'. "You know exactly why we're doing this! So quit complaining and just deal with it."

Sailor Moon glared at her friend but took a couple of intense sniffs to calm down.

"How about we take a break? I know I could sure use some food." suggested Sailor Jupiter.

"YAY FOOD!" cheered Sailor Moon and the group laughed at her enthusiasm.

Nailah walked over to the gravity controlling machine and turned it off, feeling a sudden lightness on her shoulders as the additional force was removed.

The group let out a sigh of relief at the lack of pressure and returned to their civilian forms, heading towards the exit.

"Oh! Darien, if you're not too tired, we should probably try to revive Nephrite while it's still light out." suggested Amy. The surrounding girls immediately seemed to tense, and their moment of light-heartedness at the thought of an upcoming meal seemed to vanish.

Darien simply nodded.

"Can we eat first?" Serena asked, with a slight whine in her tone, making the group laugh once more and she growled in irritation.

That was a serious question!

"Who's Nephrite?" a calm voice asked from behind the group and they turned to see Nailah, gazing at them with a curious expression on her beautiful face. Darien wasn't fooled. Her eyes shone with rapt attention as she observed them with a mysterious air of abnormal knowledge and grace.

For some reason, rather than being a comforting feeling, it unnerved him.

"Why don't you join us and I'll explain while we eat?" he suggested with a gentle smile, his behaviour betraying nothing of his suspicions.

Nailahs' eyes narrowed minutely before she nodded and followed them out the door.

"Will you be dining out today, sir?" a robotic-made immediately rolled up to Darien and asked politely.

He smiled and shook his head, "I think we'd all like to eat here today, if that's ok?"

"Of course, sir. Would you like to eat in the garden or the dining hall?" questioned the robot.

Darien glanced at the group, who shrugged and he shrugged in response, "Uh, the garden?"

"Of course sir, please follow me." instructed the robot, whizzing around and leading them to the famous indoor garden centre Dr Briefs adored so much.

As the Scouts happily ate and chatted amongst themselves, Nailah seemed to be observing them with a curious and analysing gaze; something that did not go unnoticed by the future King of the Earth.

Sensing his gaze, the darkened hazel eyes of the Nikoten Princess turned to meet with Darien's royal blue ones. She didn't bother to politely smile, she had felt him watching her and could feel his suspicion.

"Who is Nephrite?" she asked once more, having patiently waited for the answer to her original question.

Darien nodded, acknowledging his promise. "Well, when I was Prince Endymion, I had four advisors, and protectors, known as the Shitennou Guardians. Nephrite was one of them."

Nailah's expression remained unchanged by this information, though her eyes seemed to grow sharper. "And what do you hope to gain by reviving him?"

Darien shrugged nonchalantly and turned to gaze at the group of girls around him. They were teasing and laughing together in such a carefree manner, you wouldn't believe that they were even aware that the Earth and its' people were in danger. He took a sip of his juice before he spoke, "I have a few suspicions about Nikiko's last attack. So I want to make sure the Scouts are well guarded at all times. It's my duty as their protector but, alone, I can only really guard Serena. So, if we can revive Nephrite and find that Queen Beryl's spell is no longer in effect, we can revive the other three guards too. They'll be assigned to guard the others."

Nailah suddenly got to her feet, drawing the gaze of the entire group. Their laughter seemed to suddenly fall silent. She turned her emotionless eyes on Darien once more.

"You should revive them now." she spoke with a serious and detached tone, giving her an air of mystery. For some reason, Darien had a feeling that she knew a lot more than she was telling them.

Without questioning her, he got to his feet and closed his eyes. Serena frowned and got to her feet too, powering up into her form as Sailor Moon. The other Scouts followed suit. Nailah took a step away from them, as Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus joined hands and surrounded Sailor Moon and Darien.

As he closed his eyes, Darien began to glow with a pale golden light; the power of his Golden Crystal spreading through him and he changed his form. Sailor Moons' eyes widened momentarily in surprise as, instead of her partner, Tuxedo Mask, before her stood someone she hadn't seen for a very long time.

Darien's body was now cloaked with a navy blue tunic and trouser piece, which was shielded by a silver and blue breast plate of armour, silver shoulder pieces and bronze plated knee-high boots of armour; his navy blue cape and silver sword attached at his hip completing his ensemble as Prince Endymion.

"Why have you become Prince Endymion?" Serena asked with a gentle voice, as the Scouts surrounding them began to call to their respective planets for pure energy and power.

Endymion smiled gently at his warrior princess, Sailor Moon. He cupped her face with his hand and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"Try to become Serenity." he requested gently, "I have more power and control in this form. And I can access the memories of my past. Perhaps, this way, I can revive Nephrite as he was even before Beryl infected his mind."

Nailah's eyes widened in surprise at the transformation, and widened further as she witnessed 'Endymion' placing his hands in front of his chest. As he closed his eyes, he began to glow with an even brighter golden light and she could feel his ki skyrocket with the level of power he seemed to have in this form; she shielded her eyes from the brightness of the light. After a few moments, the light subsided, yet his ki seemed to continue to rise.

Prince Endymion held before him the Golden Crystal, the Earths' power crystal, from which he drew his planetary powers. Sailor Moon closed her eyes, placing her hands in a similar position in front of her chest, on either side of her transformation locket. The locket opened and, from it, she withdrew the Silver Crystal.

"Focus your energy, my love." requested Endymion and Sailor Moon blushed, but nodded.

Though their differences were subtle, she felt as though Endymion was truly a different person to her Darien. Yet, they were one in the same. She wanted to become Serenity for him; to become the woman that Endymion was in love with, not Serena or Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom.

But she couldn't.

She had never been able to access her royal form on demand, as Darien had learnt to do; only during times when she had been faced with true danger and mortal peril had she fully accessed her dormant powers and knowledge of the Moon Kingdom as Princess Serenity, enabling her to use the Silver Crystal to its' full potential.

Putting her insecurities of her lesser form, she closed her eyes and focused the power of the Silver Crystal to aid that of the Golden Crystal. There was a sudden bright flash of light. She could feel their powers combining, feeling one with Endymion as his energy flowed within her veins and hers flowed in his.

"That's it, my love." she could hear Endymion whisper to her telepathically through their connection. "Now focus on your good memories of Nephrite. We must revive him in a peaceful form."

Sailor Moon swallowed nervously, feeling a sudden strain on her body, not unlike that she felt during their training sessions in the gravity room. She fought against the intense pressure and focused on the memories of Nephrite and Molly, how gentle he had been to her. How well he had treated her. How he had protected her.

She could feel Endymions' memories drawing into her body, as hers were flowing to him. She could see Nephrite laughing with the Prince, after being defeated in a training battle. In another, he was teasing the Prince about his affection for Serenity. In another, he fought alongside the Prince during a civil war; there was a smile on both their faces. They had been enjoying the battle, because they were fighting together. Witnessing Nephrite as he had been, Sailor Moon felt a pang of guilt and sympathy for Endymion. Not only had his own guardian been turned against him by Beryl, but so had his once loyal friend.

It felt as though an eternity had passed before the pressure of their combined powers was lifted off their bodies; it had hardly been a couple of minutes.

Serena collapsed to her knees, panting for breath and without the strength to retain her superior form as Sailor Moon. As her eyes seemed to gain focus once more, she became aware that her friends had also collapsed to their knees. That is why there had been so much pressure, she realised; she had no only been combining her powers with the Golden Crystal, but with the crystals of their planets also.

A gentle finger was placed under her chin and lifted her gaze to face that of Prince Endymion. She felt a blush rising to her cheeks at their close proximity and was, again, reminded of how different he was to Darien. She had to remind herself that they were the same person ... kindof.

"You were wonderful, my darling." he complimented gently, a small glow of golden beginning to gradually surround his being. "That was a very difficult magic to perform, and you were perfect."

She smiled shyly and her eyes widened as he kissed her gently, before drawing away. She had been too surprised to respond, but was already missing the feel of his lips on hers.

His eyes seemed somewhat sad as he looked back into hers; the glow around his body was slowly growing brighter. "I'm glad I could see you again Serenity." he said quietly, "I've missed you." he leant in and kissed her again, just as gently as before. Serena returned the kiss this time, her eyes closing automatically.

"Get a room!" jeered Rei, having de-transformed from Sailor Mars as she had used up too much of her own power.

Serena drew her lips away from her lover, a bright blush gracing her beautiful face. She was slightly surprised to realise that Endymion, too, had returned to his civilian form as Darien Shields. He smiled at her gently, but there was no longer sadness shining in his beautifully deep blue eyes.

Darien held Serena close in a loving embrace and Serena continued to blush brightly. He wasn't normally so affectionate in front of her friends. Not that she minded. Perhaps it was Endymions' affection for Serenity that was lingering?

_I could get used to this._ Serena smiled to herself as she snuggled into his embrace.

"Did it work?" Amy asked, finally recovering from the intense level of power that had been drawn from her body.

Darien looked around curiously and smiled, "Yes."

Serena, reluctantly, let curiosity get the better of her. She drew her head away from its' comfortable place on Darien's chest and looked in the same direction as her lover. Lita was sat up, cradling Nephrite's unconscious form, as he rested his head on her lap.

"Now we just have to wait for him to wake up and see what he remembers." sighed Mina, "Man! That really took a lot of power outta me!"

"Yeah, I thought I was going to pass out!" laughed Amy.

"That was an incredible power you possess." commented the forgotten Nikoten Princess as she approached their exhausted bodies. "Why have you never demonstrated it in our training sessions before?" she didn't sound furious; quite the contrary. Nailah seemed suddenly excited at the prospect of battling against such a power.

Darien shrugged, "It's not a power I like to access unless necessary." He responded, looking away from Nailah and resting his chin atop of Serena's head and holding her closer to him. "I could access the Golden Crystal as I am if I wanted to. I know we have an infinite amount of power within our Crystals-"

"Infinite power?" gasped Nailah, her voice almost silent and her eyes widening at the concept.

Darien glanced at her before continuing, feeling nervous at the information he had let slip, "-at our disposal, but I don't want to lose control over the power, which is why I use my form as Prince Endymion. When I become Endymion, I can access the knowledge and training from my past life. He grew up learning how to control the crystal, so, can perform magic I don't even know exists. And now that I know there're people out there like yourself and Gohan, who can sense the power," he seemed to frown as he considered the concept, "I don't want to attract any attention to our powers by taking on that form too regularly. All they'll do is threaten the Earth and its' people for the sake of the Crystals."

"I- I'm sorry I put so much pressure on all of you." stuttered out Serena. The group looked at her in surprise and she bit her lip sadly.

"Serena, what are you talking about? That was part of the magic." comforted Darien but she looked up at him with a sad smile on her face.

"Yes, but it would have been easier on everyone if I had been able to become Serenity like Endymion asked me to."

A surprised look crossed the face of her handsome lover, before he smiled gently and kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry Serena, we got through it. You were strong enough without needing to become Serenity." He comforted and Serena sighed weakly, feeling the warmth of his embrace comforting her.

"You can access your royal form at will as well?" Nailah questioned with surprise.

Serena locked eyes with the Nikojin before her and smiled sadly, shaking her head.

"I have never had the level of control over my magic, like Darien has." She looked down thoughtfully, "I suppose it might be because I'm still young, so I just need to mature into my powers. I've only ever been able to become Serenity as a last resort during our battles."

"But, if you-" Nailah began, stepping forward with an eager shine in her eyes. She was suddenly interrupted by a deep groaning sound.

"Ugh, what happened?" growled the sluggish voice of the newly revived Nephrite.

"Hey, how're you doing Nephrite?" Lita asked. Her gentle tone and expression betrayed nothing of her readiness for battle. She was prepared to attack within a second, should he suddenly turn against them. Her muscles were tense and her right hand gripped her transformation pen tightly at her side.

Nephrite's eyes widened as they locked with Lita's. "Princess Jupiter!" he gasped, sitting up very suddenly and backing away, kneeling before her in a very respectful bow. "Forgive me, I must have fallen asleep during my duties."

"Nephrite!" Darien called, smiling as he got to his feet; he pulled Serena up with him and she smiled gently.

"Endymion!" Nephrite cried in surprise and seemed rather startled at being in the presence of not only his Prince, but the Moon Princess. "Princess Serenity." He bowed his head low again, "I know it is not my place, sire. But it is not advisable for you both to be meeting so regularly." He said very formally before glancing up at Darien with a quick smirk and winked cheekily, making the former Prince of the Earth blush brightly.

"Now really, Nephrite, that's enough. You don't need to bow, I never liked the formality of our friendship. Besides, I'm not Endymion any longer." Darien explained gently.

Nephrite's eyes widened as he looked up, "But- but sire-" he stuttered but Darien stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, kneeling in front of him so he was at eye-level and he smiled gently.

"Nephrite, my friend, we are no longer in the Silver Millennium. The Moon Kingdom and the Golden Kingdom are long gone. We have all been reborn into a new age."

Nephrite seemed to be staring at Darien in horror, unable to process his words.

"Look at me." Darien said gently, "This is not the attire a Prince should be wearing. And if you look around, this is not the Earth we once knew." He explained gently.

Nephrite did as instructed, slowly analysing Darien's alien attire and then staring around the indoor garden and to the girls who surrounded him. Upon first glance, he believed them to be the Planet Princesses of their Solar System. He soon realised, upon further inspection, that there were small differences in their appearances from the Princesses he was familiar with, along with their similarly strange attire. He then looked down at himself and realised he was still wearing his guardian uniform and, if he had been truly reborn, why did he not retain any memories of this world?

"But..." he paused before he spoke, deciding how best to word his confusion, "Why don't I remember this world?"

"You were originally reborn on enemy lines." Darien said, but continued to smile gently as Nephrite looked up suddenly in horror. His eyes had widened at the words of his Prince.

"My Prince!" he cried, "How could I betray you?" he looked down in anguish and bowed his head to Darien once more, "Please, forgive me. Punish me as you see fit."

"Nephrite, you were defeated in battle against us. We have revived you in this form where you are pure, but your memories were difficult to restore." Darien explained, gripping his friends shoulder, "Hold no guilt within your heart. You have done no wrong to us in the life you hold now."

"I wish to repent for the mistakes of my past, sire." Nephrite continued, the comforting words of his leader meaning little when compared to the knowledge that he betrayed one of his closest friends.

"Well, I need your help." Darien began.

"Anything!" Nephrite offered immediately, looking up hopefully with guilt evident in his shining eyes.

"We are under threat by a new enemy; a powerful enemy. Our pure magical attacks do little against them. I need you to be the skilled combatant protector for Princess Jupiter."

"WHAT!" Lita gasped, looking affronted. "I do NOT need protection!" she growled, but Nephrite smiled gently.

"You have always been too proud to accept my help, Princess Jupiter." He teased with an air that was almost... flirtatious?

Lita blushed brightly and turned her head away proudly, "The name's Lita, creep." she spat.

"My sincerest apologies... Lita." Nephrite responded, pausing before he said her name. It was almost as though he was testing out her name on his lips. He got to his feet, and Darien followed suit as Nephrite turned to him once more. He looked more relaxed than he had so far. "And how am I to address you, sire, in this time?"

"Well, not as 'prince' or 'sire' or whatever else, that's for sure." laughed Darien, very much at ease. "My name is Darien Shields."

"I'm Serena Tsukino." smiled the Moon Princess and Nephrite bowed his head in acknowledgement, returning her smile.

"Rei Hino." nodded the Solider of Battle.

"I'm Amy Mizuno." smiled the intelligent Mercurian.

"And I'm Mina Aino, the prettiest and most beautiful of the reincarnated princesses." winked Mina and, while Nephrite laughed nervously, exchanging a nervous glance with the Prince. Darien slapped his palm on his forehead, shaking his head while the rest of the group seemed to sigh exasperatedly.

Rei even let out a groan of frustration, placing her fingers on either side of her temples.

"You always find some way to-"

"How powerful is he?" questioned Nailah, making her presence known after being momentarily forgotten.

Darien turned to her with a calm expression, "Powerful enough to defend against a Shadow Senshi with Sailor Jupiter until the rest of us can join them."

"Shadow Senshi?" Nephrite questioned, frowning.

"We'll explain later." Darien added to him, smiling gently and putting his friend immediately at ease.

Nailah raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "I would like to see how powerful he is in, perhaps, a friendly match?" Her tail flicked left and right as she purred with excitement; her ears flicking left and right as she seemed to pick up the tiny sounds emitting from the garden.

Darien turned to Nephrite to ask him, but he noticed the guard looking around the room curiously and the former Prince frowned. "Nephrite? What's wrong?"

Nephrite returned his gaze to Darien and continued to frown, "I can't sense Jadeite's energy, nor Kunzite or Zoicite. Have they not been reborn, si- uhh, Darien?"

Darien frowned, "No, we still need to revive them. We weren't sure what state your memories would be restored in, so we didn't bring all of you back yet."

Nephrite nodded.

"Don't worry!" comforted Serena brightly, "Now that we know what to do, it'll be a synch to get the others too!"

Nephrite smiled, "You always were very freely spirited, Princess."

Serena scratched her chin, laughing with embarrassment. "Call me Serena! And uhh, is that a good thing? Because I'm pretty sure my mom would love my spirit to focus on school a bit more."

"OH!" gasped Amy, "We haven't completed our exercises for today Serena! We've got a lot of studying to catch up on! I've been so caught up in training that I've been falling behind!" she fretted.

"What, so now you're only like, 10 chapters ahead?" teased Mina.

"Yes! I won't be able to finish the course early enough to go through it again at this rate!" Amy continued to fret nervously, while the rest of the room seemed to stare at her in astonishment.

"Nerd." teased Lita with a wink and Amy blushed when the group began to laugh; she joined them.

"When will you be reviving the others?" Nephrite asked calmly, seemingly relaxing. But, perhaps unnoticed by the others, Darien and Serena could feel him using his magic. His awareness of their environment seemed to be emphasised by his connection to the stars and the atmosphere; he was checking the area was safe and was monitoring their security.

The Prince and Princess smiled to one another, feeling comforted that their new allies were going to uphold their duties to their upmost abilities.

"We can revive them now, if you're up for it?" Darien asked, smiling gently at Serena. She nodded brightly.

"Sure! Can we eat afterwards?" she asked and the group laughed at her once more.

Why did they find that so funny? It was a seriously important question!

After a few hours, the remaining three guardians of the Prince had been revived; it had taken some time to explain to each of them individually why they were no longer living in the era of the Silver Millennium. They were then reassigned to each of the reluctant Sailor guardians to the Princess. Jadeite was to guard Rei, Zoicite was assigned to Amy and Kunzite was left to guard Mina.

Nailah seemed very interested in the power these new guardians possessed and was determined to test them. She wanted to battle them in the training room and level their powers against her own and, especially, against the power she had felt emanating from the Golden and Silver Crystals.

The combined power of those crystals... it was incredible! How is it possible that their combined power is supposedly not enough to defeat Nikiko? It was no wonder that Nikiko wanted their powers. She now knew how pure hearts and souls of the Prince and Princess must be. To have such power at their disposal and, yet, they cared only to guard the power and use it to protect their loved ones...

But, something that Darien had mentioned earlier, had made her grow nervous. She had felt their enormity of their powers, which must have meant...

The ground beneath their feet began to shake and they heard and intense and terrifying roar.

Serena screamed and huddled into Darien's arms for protection.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" shouted Mina, as the ground seemed to stop shaking.

"I'm getting major negga-vibes guys! It's something powerful!" Rei warned.

"We don't have time for this!" Lita shouted, getting to her feet and running to the doors of the indoor garden.

She ran out and felt the powerful rays of the full moon shining on her body.

How long had they been in there?

"JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER!" she cried, transforming into her magically powered state. Nephrite remained by her side, sensing a power he had no experience with.

Sailor Jupiter cried out in pain as a furious roar reached her ears once more. Holding her hands over her ears to try and block out some of the sound, she looked frantically for the source. The remaining Scouts, Tuxedo Mask and the Shitennou joined her within moments.

"THIS WAY!" shouted Sailor Mercury, following the map she had playing across her screen goggles; she typed frantically on her compact computer, sourcing the enormous power.

"It's got to be Gohan!" Mars shouted to the team as they followed Mercury. "There's no one else who could possibl-" her words were cut short as she gasped in horror.

Before her very eyes, stomping and destroyed their city, roaring with terrible fury, was what looked like a glowing, golden, giant ape.

"Gohan has transformed into an Oozaru." A mysterious voice spoke. The group looked back and saw Nailah walking past them, towards the 'Oozaru'. Her eyes were lost to black, shining brilliantly in the golden glow being emitted from Gohan's giant form and a black, flaming aura of energy was surrounding her. She looked up to the Oozaru with an unnerving calm. "An Oozaru is the Great Ape form of a Saiyan warrior. His power is multiplied tenfold and, at least while he is young and untrained, he loses all sense of self and becomes an out of control monster. He'll destroy whatever there is in his path."

"How do we stop him?" gasped Sailor Moon, "I don't want to hurt him! Even if he is a monster, he's still Gohan!"

Nailah continued, as though Sailor Moon hadn't even spoken. "He's golden..." she analysed with a frown, "It appears as though he may have become the Oozaru after transforming into a Super Saiyan, or perhaps, after he had transformed into an Ascended Saiyan. His power level is intense."

"How do we stop him?" Tuxedo Mask questioned her again, more forcefully and glaring with determination at Nailah.

She turned her glimmering eyes on the future King but, before she could speak, she snapped her head up and glared furiously. Tuxedo Mask, too, looked up and gripped his cane more powerfully. There were several Shadow Senshi above them; attacking the civilians that were fleeing for their lives. Nikiko was among them, cackling with glee as she observed the entire scene unfold.

Sailor Moon gazed at the terror before her in horror.

Was this they battle that was predicted?

* * *

**To the guest reviewer who asked about the timeline...** In answer to your question, yes, the timeline is done purposely to demonstrate Trunks still as a baby. He's not very key to my plot though – sorry. But I have taken into account that he's more of a toddler (aged 5) and I base his and Goten's (who is aged 4) behaviour on what I know of toddlers at that age, which is quite a lot since I have a baby sister (aged 3) who I have helped raise with my parents – I'm practically her second mother. Most of time I actually imagine how she would respond to that sort of situation since she's quite advanced for her age (she's not really around children her own age as all of us, her siblings, are aged 15+ and she's been deemed by our doctor to have the mental age of a 5 year old). But if your question, in particular, was as a reference to Trunks drinking milk from a bottle and falling asleep on Bulma's lap, it's because most kids continue to drink from a bottle until they're about 5 or 6 years old. It's just as a form of familiarity and comfort, but shouldn't be a regular feature in their life as it is earlier on. Once they start regular school (not nursery/pre-school), then bottled milk is discouraged and the child has to forcibly be stopped from using a bottle altogether as it can disfigure their teeth. Most children are very reluctant to stop bottle-feeding, so it's not uncommon for it to carry on as a bed-time bottle or a snack-time bottle, up to the age of 5 or 6. After that, it's normally converted into 'a cup of milk before bed'. - Nice little lesson in mothering and child psychology for you all!

**To the guest reviewer who said Vegeta trains at 750 gs...** Yes, I do know that, which is why he's not training with them. But you're forgetting that Vegeta is of a warrior race. He's been training at increased gravity levels for a number of years and his body is built for battle, whereas the powers of the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask aren't about their physical strength. They're more magic based and are sourced from their respective planetary crystals; therefore they don't actually have much above that of human ability when it comes to physical strength and hand-to-hand combat skills – that's why their attacks actually have a higher power level than their own bodies. Though they could probably handle over 100 gs, given their power levels due to their magical and (technically) alien bodies, they don't know how to move fluidly in that level of pressure, so Nailah's gradually increasing the gs each training session. I've based the characters' ability to adjust to the gravity based on the gravity intensity of their respective planets – so Sailor Moon will be struggling the most because the moon has the lowest gravity level in the solar system, whilst Sailor Jupiter will find it easiest to adjust because the planet Jupiter has the highest gravity intensity in our solar system. And in general, the thing affecting Nailah, which I'm not yet revealing, would be affecting her more significantly if she were training with them at a higher gs. Though she knows she could handle it, as could the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask, it would be dangerous for her and for them.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **I'm really sorry it's taken me SO long to update! You wouldn't believe how ridiculously busy I've been! I was planning on making this chapter longer, but I realised it's been almost a month since I updated so I decided to post the first half now and the second half once I finish writing it. Again, I have published a reply to a guest review at the bottom and I apologise for the delay in updates!

* * *

They weren't ready! How could this happen? They were meant to have more time! Sailor Moon glanced nervously at Tuxedo Mask and he returned her nervous look.

They hadn't dared to admit it to the others, but reviving the Shitennou had drawn a lot more of their power than they had anticipated. They weren't capable of fighting so many Shadow Senshi in one go, let alone taking on Nikiko and Gohan as an Oozaru!

Sailor Moon swallowed nervously and took a deep breath before a look of furious determination crossed her face. No matter how weak she was feeling... she couldn't give up! She was Sailor Moon for crying out loud! She was the reincarnated Princess of the Moon Kingdom; the champion of love and justice, protector and future Queen of the Earth and guardian of the Silver Crystal.

"HEY!" she shouted to Nikiko and the cackling floating Nikojin turned her head towards the sound of the voice, "You have no right to take what doesn't belong to you, and the souls of the people of earth fall into that category! How dare you attack my city!" she began her usual routine of poses, "I am, SAILOR MOON!"

"SAILOR MARS" shouted the fire princess, catching on to Sailor Moon's usual routine just before their battles began. The other Scouts joined in, supporting their leader with a furiously passionate sense of duty and determination.

"SAILOR MERCURY"

"SAILOR VENUS"

"SAILOR JUPITER"

"SAILOR NEPTUNE"

"SAILOR URANUS"

"ON THE SCENE!" the Scouts shouted together, striking their beautiful signature stances.

"And in the name of the Moon, we shall punish you!" finished Sailor Moon, pointing threateningly to Nikiko's floating figure.

Nikiko giggled and patronisingly applauded the girls slowly, the manic grin never leaving her beautiful face; giving her a rather disturbed expression.

"It is nice to meet you once again Sailor Scouts." Her grin widened, "I see that the power I sensed from this area was the power of the Silver and Golden Crystals." Her grin widened as she eyed Tuxedo Mask with a lustrous gaze. "They will be mine." she said silkily, making the future King of the Earth swallow against the sickly feeling rising in his stomach. He refused to break his determined and furious gaze from that of his deranged opponent.

"HEY! THAT'S MY MAN YOUR OGGLING! KEEP YOUR SLIMY PAWS AWAY FROM HIM!" screeched Sailor Moon, turning red with fury and clenching her fists with jealousy. Tuxedo Mask just blushed faintly as he glanced towards his beloved, resisting the urge to shake his head disapprovingly at her. She chose the worst moments to grow jealous.

Nikiko turned her gaze onto the fuming Moon Princess and giggled, she raised her arms. Sailor Moon gasped as, all at once, the Shadow Senshi abandoned their onslaught against the people of Earth and started for the Scouts; she could see dark balls of energy forming in their hands as they charged up their attacks.

"Let's see how you fair against my army of Senshi!" cackled the evil Nikojin.

"Don't use magical attacks against them!" Tuxedo Mask quickly warned his Shitennou as he sensed them charging up their powers; they looked at him in confusion. "They absorb pure magical attacks and will replicate them against us."

"We're ready for you this time!" Sailor Jupiter called with a fury, taking a fighting stance. She glanced at Nephrite and sent a nod his way. If he was at all confused by the scene that was unfolding before him, he hid it well. With a quick nod to Jupiter, he held out his hand and magically materialised his enchanted sword.

A furious roar, followed by the quaking of the ground below them reminded the Scouts of Gohan's current state and the threat he now posed. Nikiko looked positively thrilled at the horror crossing the faces of the famous and all-powerful Sailor Scouts as they dodged and dived away from the energy blasts the Shadow Senshi were sending.

"How do we take down Gohan **and **the Shadow Senshi?" gasped Sailor Mars, dodging yet another attack that was fired her way.

"NEPTUNE SUBMARINE REFLECTION!" Sailor Neptune shouted, charging up her magical mirror and sending a powerful wave of enchanted water through her mirror and to the Senshi that had aimed to attack Sailor Uranus. "We'll have to split up." She replied to Sailor Mars.

"We'll handle the Senshi!" Sailor Uranus called before leaping into the air and striking the nearest few with her Space Sword Blaster. "You guys figure out how to take down Gohan!" she finished, landing gracefully once more.

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Sailor Moon cried, taking down several Senshi with one blast of her kaleidomoon scope. Her knees shook slightly as her energy drained, but she stood her ground with a brave face.

The group screamed as they witnessed Gohan destroying the surrounding buildings with wild fury, a beam of violet light erupting from his mouth and blasting Tokyo Tower.

"Uranus is right guys!" Sailor Moon shouted, gripping her kaleidomoon scope more fiercely, "We need to stop him from destroying the city!" She gasped as she felt a shockwave of energy strike her back and looked around, realising that it came from the remainder of the battle ensuing with Tuxedo Mask and the Shitennou against the Senshi.

The Shitennou were certainly holding their own, striking the Senshi powerfully and skilfully with their magical swords, each of which was powered by their element. It was clear that they were true combatants and, as she watched their almost synchronised movements, she could see their connection as a team.

Zoicite held a sword of unbreakable ice, while Jadeite's sword shone with the blazing flame that was charging through it; Nephrite electrocuted the Senshi with powerful lightening upon contact in his attacks and Kunzite's stone sword pulsed with powerful shockwaves of light with each blow. Though they didn't destroy the Shadow Senshi, as the Scouts attacks did, they were weakened and defenceless enough for Tuxedo Mask to blast them into oblivion with his Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber attack.

"What's that?" shouted Sailor Venus, as she witnessed beams of light and shockwaves of explosions appearing all over Gohan's body. The ground seemed to shake once more as he roared in pain and rage, swatting his enormous hands all over the place.

Sailor Mercury quickly drew her computational goggles across her eyes as she tried to look past the battle. She typed away quickly, scanning the computational ki-wave and matching it to her database. Immediately, Gohan's was collected and, within moments, the second and third powers were recognised.

She gasped.

"It's Vegeta and Goten!"

"GOTEN?!" gasped the other girls.

"We need to stop him! Gohan would never forgive himself if something happened to Goten!" gasped Sailor Mercury, charging forwards through the battle and towards Gohan's raging form without a second thought.

"MERCURY WAIT!" Sailor Jupiter called, cursing before chasing after her friend.

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Sailor Moon cried once more, joining her Sailors, Uranus and Neptune, in their onslaught. From her peripheries, she could see the other Scouts run towards Gohan's form, hopefully with a plan.

"Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask called, panting as he began to feel the strain of his draining energy. He could feel the impact that the battle was having on Sailor Moon's already weakened state. He needed to protect her! If she was away from the Senshi, she wouldn't be draining so much energy so quickly! She would be protected by her fellow Scouts and the Silver Crystal would heal her... "You must go with the other Scouts and help Gohan! We can handle the Shadow Senshi!" he shouted to her as he felt her energy drain with another attack.

"You really think so?" teased Nikiko, her deranged expression unaltered by the fight and the loss of so many of her warriors. She raised her hand and her eyes shone black, an aura of flaming black energy surrounding her body and more Shadow Senshi seemed to materialise before them.

Tuxedo Masks' handsome face paled at the sight, his eyes widening and he took a protective stance in front of Sailor Moon with Sailor Uranus and Neptune. Their main priority was protecting her. The Shitennou panted for breath, feeling the exhaustion burning their muscles, but they surrounded their leader and gripped their swords firmly; their sharp eyes scanned across the new Senshi that had appeared before them, looking for a weak point.

"She just regenerates her army each time we even make a dent!" Zoicite called to the team in horror.

"We need a plan!" Kunzite replied, "If we keep attacking like this, we'll burn out before we can reach her."

"Any suggestions? I'm open to anything right about now." Jadeite responded in a surprisingly light-hearted manner. "Let's not try going all kamikaze though."

"This is no time for jokes." scowled Nephrite.

"Who says I'm joking?" Jadeite countered, the smile that twitched at his lips betraying his tone of mock-offence. "I was quite serious about that."

"C'mon guys! Focus!" Tuxedo Mask called to them and all joking stopped momentarily, though he couldn't resist the smile that teased his lips. Even in such a dangerous situation, they teased and joked as old friends do; often as he had seen the Scouts do.

"Here's a suggestion," Nikiko taunted, "surrender the Golden and Silver Crystals, and I won't kill you immediately." She giggled, her eyes shining with the hunger for power.

"What kind of a deal is that? You bad people only ever want the crystals." Jadeite called, looking affronted, "Why wouldn't you want my sword? Look at it! It's beautiful!"

"Jadeite!" Nephrite scolded, "Be serious!"

"I was!"

"ENOUGH." Kunzite intervened.

"You two are honestly like children." Zoicite grumbled, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Hm, I suppose my Senshi will have to help you change your mind." teased Nikiko and, with a wave of her hand, the Senshi charged forward once more.

The Shitennou, Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask readied themselves once more for the battle but, suddenly, they looked on in confusion. It appeared as though several of the Senshi were spontaneously combusting right before their eyes. Others were destroyed by a very recognisable violet ball of powerful energy, and the remainder suffered against a vicious explosion that occurred in their peripheral line of vision. The shockwaves of such attacks were so great that Tuxedo Mask even drew his cape around Sailor Moon to protect her from further harm.

"I didn't do that... did I?" Jadeite questioned in confusion, looking at his glowing sword sceptically as the Senshi that had been charging directly towards him disappeared in a heap of flames.

"Pluto!" Uranus called; the relief and gratitude in her tone evident as she smiled to her friend.

"Saturn!" Sailor Neptune called, equally as relieved and pleased to see their friends approaching.

"Sorry we're late." smiled the mysterious Guardian of Time, "But we were a bit preoccupied and, as Saturn is still an infant in this time, I felt it necessary to call upon her from Crystal Tokyo."

The Sailor Solider of Death and Rebirth bowed in a respectful greeting to the future King and Neo-Queen of the Earth. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon smiled gratefully at the remaining and most powerful amongst the Scouts of their Solar System; finally making an appearance to join their battle.

"It's good to see you Your Highnesses. But," Saturn's eyes narrowed as she gripped her Silence Glaive, "who did the last attack belong to?"

Nikiko's manic smile dropped and her eyes narrowed as she recognised the technique.

"I was wondering when you would finally show your face." Nikiko spat with a rather bitter and harsh tone to her voice.

Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn gripped their weapons fiercely, taking an immediate fighting stance and glaring up at Nikiko with a furious passion; but were startled to see her addressing another floating Nikojin.

She, too, had a pure white coat of fur surrounding her beautiful body; a graceful white tail flicking left and right and two pointed ears poking out of her mane of white hair, twitching as she faced the enemy. Her fists were clenched, her jaw was set and her once intensely amber eyes reflected only an inky blackness as a black flaming aura of power surrounded her figure.

"Nailah?" Sailor Moon whispered in disbelief. The warriors on the ground stared in shock as the two magical Nikojins faced one another. They looked so similar; they were almost identical.

"That's enough now, sister." Nailah called, the black aura flickering around her.

"Sister?" Sailor Moon whispered in disbelief, her bright blue eyes wide with horror.

* * *

"GOTEN!" Sailor Mercury shouted out to the small child as she noticed him hopping around the ground, avoiding Gohan's feet with an angry look on his face. He continued to fire powerful energy beams at the gigantic feet, making the Oozaru-Gohan hop around in pain.

"WATCH OUT!" screamed Sailor Mercury, diving and tackling Goten. They managed to roll to safety just in time as Gohan's large ape-feet crushed the ground where Goten had just been stood. She looked at the small child huddled to her arms with genuine concern. "Are you alright?" she asked gently and he looked at her with large dark eyes.

"I want to help." he said meekly, "But it's scary!"

He looked so sad that Mercury huddled him closer to her body, momentarily forgetting about the immediate danger they were in.

"MERCURY! MOVE!" screamed Sailor Jupiter as she witnessed the roaring large foot of the Great Ape descend. Without hesitation, she called onto the powers of her planetary crystal, "SUPER SUPREME THUNDER!" she cried, releasing powerful bolts of lightning from her tiara and attacking Gohan's foot. The ground cracked and gave way to the weight of Oozaru-Gohan's superior form as his foot came crashing down; his arms continued to wave in an attempt to swat away the painful stings he was experiencing.

Sailor Mercury gasped, looking around in shock. She had almost been pummelled to death by the raging Oozaru, and now, she was in mid-air? She held Goten tightly to her body and, but a moment later, realised Vegeta was carrying her form with a furious expression on his face.

"You pathetic Scouts are getting in my way." He growled, flying to the other Sailors who had now appeared at the scene and Mercury jumped to her feet; still holding Goten close in a protective manner. "You have no business being here. He's too powerful for any of you pathetic excuses for warriors." spat Vegeta and the Scouts looked affronted.

"HEY! We came here to help!" shouted Sailor Venus, her fists clenching.

Vegeta grunted; a small smirk on his face as he spoke, "You're more stupid than I thought if you believe that your pitiful magic is a powerful enough to attack the ultimate form of a Saiyan warrior." Did he actually sound _proud_ to see Gohan in such a state?

"Oh? So how do you plan to stop him? We can't just let him destroy the city!" Sailor Mars retorted furiously, her hands on her hips.

The girls suddenly spread their arms for balance and screamed as the ground below them began to shake once more with the force of the Oozaru's giant feet and they clasped their hands over their ears as he released a furious roar, blasting the nearby buildings with intense energy beams from his mouth.

Vegeta rose into the air to maintain his balance and frowned at the Oozaru before him.

"I'll deal with him myself. You'll just get in my way." He shouted and flew off towards Gohan once more; the Scouts glared daggers to the back his incredibly spiky head.

"Now what?" shouted Sailor Jupiter, her fists clenched in fury as she itched for battle.

Sailor Mercury carefully lowered Goten to the ground and he beside her, hugging her leg nervously. Now that the Scouts were here, he had to admit to himself that fighting the Oozaru didn't seem like such a fun idea any more. Mercury tapped her earring and materialised her compact computer before her, typing furiously to find the weakest point on the Oozaru-Gohan.

"His tail!" she finally announced, "If we can attack his tail, we should be able to defeat him!" she closed her compact and smiled proudly at her discovery.

"Great! Now we just need a plan that doesn't involve getting crushed by his giant feet, or blasted by his mouth." replied Sailor Mars rather cynically.

Venus glared at her reproachfully, "Now is not the time to lose focus." she scolded, upholding her position as the leader and peace-maker. Mars apologised quickly and they set about designing their plan.

Goten continued to observe Vegeta with a curious air; why couldn't he fly too? Or send ki-attacks like that? It was so unfair!

He watched curiously as Vegeta sent blow after blow to the raging Great Ape. The glowing golden form of the Oozaru seemed irritated by these stinging sensations, but was otherwise unaffected. The frustrated Super Saiyan Prince was struggling to remain out of reach, for the speed of Oozaru-Gohan, too, was improved by his Ascended Saiyan transformation; almost as though he were a Super-Oozaru. Despite the fury Vegeta was feeling at his failed attempts to destroy either the floating faux moon or Gohan's tail, he felt a sense of pride at witnessing the ultimate form of the Saiyan warrior surpass what was originally thought possible. Surely, this meant that, once he overtook that pathetic low-rank warrior's son, then his Oozaru form would be unstoppable.

"Goten," Sailor Mercury said gently, snapping his attention away from the powerful onslaught of the Prince, "I want you to go find somewhere safe to hide. Why don't you call Nimbus and get home to your mom?" she suggested gently and he frowned.

"I want to help!" he insisted and Mercury smiled sympathetically, which only annoyed him further. He was powerful and he knew it!

"I don't want you to get hurt Goten." she said simply, getting to her feet and smiling at him comfortingly. "Just stay safe ok?" Without waiting for a reply, she nodded to her fellow Scouts and ran towards the raging form of Oozaru-Gohan with them.

Vegeta growled in frustration as the brat deflected yet another one of his ki blasts. He tried desperately to swerve it and destroy the floating moon behind Gohan, but it was as though he knew, in all his raging and uncontrolled thoughts, that the destruction of the moon would be his undoing.

"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY-"

Oh god no.

"JUPITER OAK-"

This had to be some sort of sick joke.

"MERCURY SHINE AQUA-"

He was definitely going to kill each one of them personally.

"-SHOCK!"

"-EVOLUTION!"

"-ILLUSION!"

The combined attacks of Sailor Venus, Jupiter and Mercury flew straight for Gohan's raging form. He roared furiously as he felt the attacks stinging his being and Vegeta had to dodge quickly as a powerful beam of pure energy erupted from the Oozaru's mouth.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Vegeta roared at the Scouts, his fists clenching in fury. They thought they were more powerful than he was?! He didn't need the help of a pathetic earthling! Let alone that of _women_!

"We're trying to help you ungrateful jerk!" shouted Sailor Jupiter, glaring at the Saiyan Prince's floating form.

"NOW MARS!" Sailor Venus shouted, ignoring the arguments occurring between the two planetary royals.

"Mars Celestial Fire... SURROUND!" shouted the Princess of War, firing flaming rings of power at Oozaru-Gohan's tail.

He roared in fury and, with a flick of his golden tail, he sent her powerful flaming rings flying in all directions and the girls gasped in horror.

"It didn't work?!"

"Of course it didn't you-" Vegeta began to shout, but the colourful language he was about to use on the Scouts went unheard as he suddenly cried out in pain.

Oozaru-Gohan had used the distracted Prince's attention to his advantage and clasped his large hands around the powerful Saiyan. With a sadistically malicious grin forming on his Ape-face, Gohan began to crush every bone in the body of the tiny Saiyan. The girls screamed in horror and seemed to be begging Gohan to let him go.

Because that was definitely going to work... Fools.

He cried out in pain and shouted severe obscenities at Gohan, while the Scouts continued their stupidity. Why weren't they attacking the stupid moon while the oaf was distracted with him? Or, better still, they could use this as a chance to cut off the brat's tail **and **destroy the moon after that!

This is what he gets for _caring _and relying on _girls_ to have the warrior's intuition! Pathetic! How dare they claim to be defenders of the Earth? They were USELESS. He could hear one of them shouting to the others and then, with a nod of determination, they separated. He had already lost the use of his limbs... He cried out again as he felt his ribs crack and puncture his left lung. Where was a sensu bean when he needed one? Anyone would be better than these teenage brats! Clearly, with them left to defend the Earth, the entire planet was doomed. Even Kakarott's half-wit friends would be better than these _girls_! What were they up to?

"But we need the others!" he could hear one shout.

"We haven't got any time! He'll kill him before they get here!" another one countered.

"We don't have enough power alone! It didn't even hurt him when he was human!"

"We don't really have a choice." A third one chimed in.

"Besides," added the fourth, "We don't need to take him out completely. Even if we get his attention, that'll be enough!"

There were some other incoherent words exchanged between them once more. The Saiyan Prince couldn't believe they were wasting time like this! How long did they expect him to be able to withstand this pain?! He could feel the bones in his arms and legs already being crushed... His lungs were punctured from his broken ribs... His collarbone was beginning to feel the intense pressure from the malicious Oozaru.

"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER!"

"MARS CRYSTAL POWER!"

He could hear them calling out to their respective planets and could feel their ki beginning to rise. What is this power? What the hell were they doing?

"JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER!"

"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!"

"SAILOR PLANET ATTACK!" they shouted together and the next thing Vegeta was able to register was a bright flash of light, an intense roar erupting from the furious Oozaru-Gohan and then the sudden pressure that surrounded his body was released. He fell limply to the ground, releasing a grunt of agony at the pain he felt from the impact.

* * *

Sailor Moon watched in shock at the battle ensuing before her. Supposedly, Nailah and Nikiko were sisters! Yet, they fought one another with the skill and ferocity of pure enemies. They matched one another, move for move, and both seemed to retain a smirk of sadistic pleasure from the match.

"WATCH OUT SAILOR MOON!" she heard a deep voice cry before she yelped in surprise and was brought out of her thoughts just in time to dodge the dark energy beam of a Shadow Senshi.

"Don't flake out on me now, Meatball Head." teased Sailor Uranus, destroying her Princess' attacker with one swipe of her blade buster sword.

Sailor Moon panted; eyes wide and staring at the spot where she had just been before pouting at Sailor Uranus. "I had it TOTALLY under control!" she grinned sheepishly, making her friend smile before they both gripped their weapons tightly and continued their onslaught against the enemy. She could feel her energy draining...fast.

And, somehow, the Shadow Senshi just kept on coming.

"Doing alright there Meatball Head?" Sailor Uranus called out with concern and Sailor Moon just nodded, panting too heavily to form a coherent response.

Tuxedo Mask fired multiple razor sharp roses to the oncoming Shadow Senshi's and successfully blinded them. They each responded in exactly the same way, making him smirk in triumph as he called upon the energy from the Golden Crystal to fuel his attack.

"Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber!" he cried and destroyed his opponents, as well as those who were attacking his faithful Shitennou. He could feel Sailor Moon's energy level beginning to drop dangerously low. Soon, she wouldn't have enough power within her system to sustain her Sailor form... He had to protect her!

"Sailor Moon!" he called out, attacking multiple Shadow Senshi as he did so, "You need to get to the other Scouts! They could probably use your help!" he sent another powerful beam of golden energy at the Senshi and destroyed them, ignoring the weakness he was beginning to feel from his draining energy.

"And leave you to have all the fun? No way! You'll pass out before they're through!" replied Sailor Moon, summoning her powers once more and channelling them through her kaleidomoon scope in an attack against the Senshi facing her. Though she didn't see it, pride shone through the eyes of her fellow warriors as they witnessed her maturing. Two years ago, Sailor Moon would have been known to burst into tears and cry in fear. Now, when her friends and loved ones were in peril, she faced them with determination and admirable fearlessness.

"You'll power out before I do, Sailor Moon. I can't let you risk that!" he replied, leaping to her side and assisting her in her onslaught, taking down the majority of the revived Senshi.

"The Silver Crystal will protect me." she growled through gritted teeth, her frustration clear.

Tuxedo Mask frowned, "It will take your life if you're not strong enough to withstand its' power."

Sailor Moon glanced at Tuxedo Mask and continued to glare ahead with furious determination. They were counting on her, she couldn't let them down. She couldn't just take a break because she was feeling a little bit weak. What had all her training been for if she couldn't keep up in battle?!

There was a wicked cackling from above and, momentarily, our heroes were distracted as they and their enemies began to watch the intense battle ensuing against the two Nikoten Princesses.

"You've improved dear sister." spat Nikiko with a sickly sweet tone and a sadistic smile gracing her beautiful face, "But, so have I." She smirked at the look of concentration and fury that was pasted across her opponent.

"Sailor Moon!" shouted Nailah, making the Moon Princess jump.

Nailah ignored the words of her sister as she continued to battle. Their movements, so fluid and sharp, left no room for failure. "You must get to the others and stop Gohan!" she continued when she found a moment, as she began an onslaught of side-kicks. This drew Nikiko to the defensive, floating backwards and dodging or blocking each potential blow. Similarly, Nikiko took her chance and turned offensive, sending multiple jobs and reverse punches towards her sisters' face.

"W-what?" stuttered Sailor Moon in disbelief, "But I thought-"

"DON'T QUESTION ME!" Nailah shouted furiously, cutting across the Princess' stuttering with no move to hide her impatience. "JUST D-" she began but her words were cut short when Nikiko managed to land a powerful punch across her sisters' face; hitting her in the same spot that Sailor Moon had done so earlier that very same day.

"NAILAH!" gasped Sailor Moon, her hands rising immediately to cover her gaping mouth and her eyes widening in horror.

"You go, we'll handle!" Sailor Uranus commanded, taking a fighting stance once more and narrowing her eyes with determination. She chanced a glance to her partner and Sailor Neptune nodded, the same expression of acceptance gracing her beautiful features.

Seeing Nailah rising from the ground, dirt and dust covering her once beautiful body, Tuxedo Mask didn't wait for a second chance. He could feel her ki beginning to rise and the flaming aura of energy surrounding her was growing. Lifting Sailor Moon into his arms with practiced ease, he began to run towards the battle scene with the remaining Scouts; sending a silent prayer for Nailah's success as he did so.

* * *

**To the guest reviewer "Goku"... **Ok, seriously? Now, I'm the first to admit when I'm wrong but you have no idea how much your review actually annoyed me. OF COURSE I made the Scouts too powerful and I made Gohan and the others weaker. I'm not about to combine two complete different stories and NOT have to make some sacrifices on either end! If I did, then the whole story would be dominated by the Z Fighters within the first few chapters! To quote a good friend, it would literally just go 'oh, an enemy? Ka-me-ha-me-ha! Victory!' There's no story in that! They would've sensed the ki of the antagonists, tracked them down and destroyed them within an instant. The Scouts would've had no place whatsoever! I'm an avid Sailor Moon fan (having watched every episode in the anime, and read the manga) and I'm a major DBZ fan too (also having watched every anime episode and I'm partway through the manga now) so please don't try to test my patience on that subject. I KNOW they're not as powerful as the Z Fighters and I've tried to take that into account – I've made it clear that the Scouts attack using magic, but are physically quite weak; whereas Gohan and the Z Fighters use their ki power and combat abilities. Their training (as in, the Scouts training) was meant to accommodate somewhat for their increased skill in battle, while not really increasing their attack power since it isn't strength-based. There's only so much realism that you can apply from both plots before you HAVE to start making sacrifices for the sake of your own story. I'd like you to at least remember that this is just a fanfic, meaning that it's only BASED on the original stories and is my personal interpretation on how the two worlds would have combined. If you had made any valid points against my plot, such as some out of character behaviour or some discontinuing features that I hadn't noticed, then I would've agreed and probably adjusted my chapters to accommodate the difference. But the fact that you're simply criticizing the accuracy of my characters in relation to their respective anime's makes me think you're just trying to be cocky and clever, pointing out flaws that I already know are there and intentionally created. It's not clever to do so and is very close-minded of you. It does nothing more than make me wonder why you even bothered to read my fic if you have so many issues with my adaptations. I'm sorry for posting this at the end of my chapter update, but since you're a guest reviewer, I have no other way of replying to you and I refuse to delete any reviews I receive – though I was seriously considering deleting yours because I don't believe it serves any purpose other than to annoy me.


	20. Chapter 20

Oozaru-Gohan released a furious roar that shook the surrounding planes as he was struck by the combined powers of the Sailor Scouts in their Sailor Planet Attack. The girls screamed and fell, breaking contact and feeling sufficiently weakened after such an attack. Horrified, they looked on to see the Oozaru before them seemed hardly phased by the blow.

"It didn't work!" shouted Sailor Jupiter, slamming her fist on the ground in frustration.

"Come on guys! We can't give up!" Sailor Venus tried to encourage her team, seeing the hope beginning to fade in the eyes of her team.

"Oh give it up Venus! What chance do we have against him?" Mars spat bitterly, her fists clenching in frustration. "We're not powerful enough to defeat him when he's like this!"

"Then we'll just have to turn him back into a human!" a familiar voice chimed in, making all the Scouts look up. "Sorry we're late!" winked Sailor Moon, her hand on her hip and striking her signature heroic pose with her bright smile. Tuxedo Mask stood behind her with a small smirk playing across his handsome face, a mischievous glint in his stormy blue eyes.

"I can't believe you tried the Sailor Planet Attack without me." Sailor Moon pouted playfully, folding her arms across her chest and turning her head away in mock irritancy, "How rude." She grinned as her Scouts seemed to choke out a small laugh between them. "Come on guys!" she said more seriously, frowning at their dejected expressions. The determined look of a true warrior on a mission pasted across her beautiful face and she smiled, "We can take him. We just need a plan!"

"Right!" agreed the team, getting to their feet slightly shakily.

"Uh, any one actually got a plan?" Sailor Moon laughed, almost making her team fall over again in exasperation. They glared at her playfully and she laughed sheepishly. "Hey, I got the motivation speech down!" she defended.

"Yeah, now you just gotta get your brain into gear for the rest of the battle." growled Sailor Mars with a harsh tone and Sailor Moon glared at her friend, sticking out her tongue as her childish retort.

"What happened to Vegeta?" Tuxedo Mask asked, interrupting their argument before it could escalate any further. He glanced around with a small frown. "And is Goten alright?"

"Goten's fine." Mercury replied, tapping her earrings and typing on her compact computer quickly. "Vegeta was crushed by Gohan."

"WHAT!" Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask gasped together, looking horrified.

Mercury frowned as she continued tapping, "Don't worry, according to my readings he's still alive. Otherwise his life energy would have disappeared completely. But, there's another energy approaching. I- I've never seen this energy before!" Mercury stuttered, her worried tone not escaping that of her partners and they glanced at one another, all wondering the same thing.

Is the approaching energy a friend or a foe? Their moment of peace was disrupted by the powerful roar of the Oozaru that towered above them. Impatiently, he began to send high energy blasts from his mouth, destroying the large buildings that surrounded him with absolute ease.

"We need to stop Gohan before this other energy shows up! If it's another enemy, I don't think we can handle it!" warned Sailor Mercury, snapping her compact shut and the computing goggles before her eyes vanished. "We need to attack his tail and I think cutting it off would be the best plan."

The Scouts nodded and quickly formed a plan. Sailor Moon put on a brave face, but Tuxedo Mask could feel it. Her energy was almost at its end and he was struggling to maintain his hero-form as he was. If this failed, he was pretty sure their energy levels would drop too low to maintain these forms. But he knew Serena, and knew that she would tap into the dangerous depths of the powers within the Silver Crystal to try to save the people of Earth.

That kind of a move would cost her her life, and he'd be damned if he would let it come to that. He had to protect her.

"SPEACIAL BEAM-"

The Scouts heard a deep voice crying out and Tuxedo Mask suddenly felt a surge of power near them, before they could even begin their plan.

Sailor Venus suddenly cried out, upon seeing a strange alien-like creature nearby in purple gi. He seemed to be charging up his energy to a point on his forehead and, much like her crescent beam attack, she knew he would fire a powerful beam of energy. But it wasn't the attack that made him cry out, it was his target!

He was aiming for the moon!

"NO STOP!" she shouted, "VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" immediately, a link of powerful magical hearts erupted from her hands and flew towards the alien-like creature and wrapped around his wrist just as he seemed to be releasing his attack.

"-CANON!" Piccolo shouted, but as his attack was suddenly pulled off course by a glowing chain that wrapped around his arm and pulled him to the side. Making him miss his target and, cursing under his breath, he quickly flew out of Gohan's line of attack.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Sailor Jupiter shouted at the being, furious at his attempted attack and watching angrily as the creature landed in front of them and glared furiously.

"I was going to destroy the moon." He growled, glaring at Sailor Venus as she released her magical hold on him. "It's the source of his transformation power since I couldn't get a clear shot at his tail."

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Sailor Mercury gasped, surprising her fellow Scouts with her sudden outburst. "If you destroy the moon then you would destroy the Mare Serenitatis, which is the source of Sailor Moon's power!"

"We can always restore the moon after we stop Gohan!" spat the creature, his intimidating air hardly making the Mercurian Princess even wince. She continued to glare at him with furious determination.

"Not without the power of the Silver Crystal! But she won't be able to control it if her power source is gone." she countered and Piccolo continued to glare down at the small blunette.

"We don't have time for this, guys!" Sailor Moon suddenly interrupted, and Sailor Mercury winced as she felt some of the power of the Silver Crystal hit her in a disciplining manner, which only happened when Sailor Moon used her authority as Princess to overpower her subjects. "We have a plan and we need to stick to it." She turned a powerful and determined gaze up to the alien towering over her, without even a hint of fear. "As much as we appreciate you trying to help, we can handle this."

"You don't know what you're dealing with. Gohan's more powerful now than he was last time he became an Oozaru. He's more dangerous like this." Piccolo warned, anger and regret evident in his tone.

Sailor Mercury's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Last time?" she muttered to herself before her eyes suddenly widened with surprise. "Y-you're Piccolo aren't you? Gohan's first master?"

Piccolo sighed and nodded, his fists clenching. "I let this get out of hand." He grumbled and the Scouts frowned at him thoughtfully. They screamed as they were brought back to the present state of danger with the furious roar that erupted from the Oozaru and they dived out of the way of his furious mouth-beam.

"How about we worry about whose fault it is later?" teased Sailor Jupiter, getting to her feet and dusting herself off.

"Right, everyone knows what to do?" Venus questioned with finality and the group nodded before separating to keep their share of the plan in action.

"MERCURY BUBBLES, BLAST!" Sailor Mercury cried, creating a cold fog around everyone. Gohan roared furiously and began sending powerful blasts of energy from his mouth, trying to attack anything that surrounded him.

There was a scream amongst the shadows, making all the Scouts panic.

"Is everyone ok?" Sailor Moon shouted nervously, sensing Tuxedo Mask's ki and feeling comforted in knowing he was at least safe.

"I'm fine!" Sailor Mars called, "It almost got hit. Sorry!" she apologised, quickly getting to her feet. "Keep going!"

"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" Sailor Venus cried from the mist, her magical chain of Vensuvian hearts wrapping around the thundering feet of Oozaru-Gohan. He roared furiously and was about to move forwards and break the chain that tried desperately to hold him.

"SUPREME THUNDER, CRASH!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, attacking, not Gohan, but the ground by his feet. It gave way and the Oozaru was very close to losing his footing. He roared angrily, but continued to try to regain his balance. Venus could feel her chain beginning to weaken and gasped, gripping it tightly and squeezing her eyes shut, begging for her power to hold.

"NO! VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!" Sailor Venus cried desperately, summoning more of her planetary powers and charging it through her Love Chain, holding it together long enough to trip up the powerful Oozaru. With a disgruntled roar, Gohan fell over his own feet and crashed to the ground flat on his stomach. The girls screamed as they tried to remain balanced during the earthquake Gohan's impact with the ground had created.

Sailor Venus gasped, feeling her body weakening significantly from that burst she had summoned and she struggled to maintain her Sailor form. She fell to her knees, gasping for air, but keeping a firm hold of her Love Chain. Terrified that, if she let go, she may de-transform completely.

"MERCURY BUBBLES, FREEZE!" Sailor Mercury cried, charging around Oozaru-Gohan's fallen body and quickly beginning to freeze him to the surface of the Earth. Knowing that he would be able to break it within a moments' notice, she hoped it would hold long enough.

Sailor Mars immediately began her ritual chanting, summoning her powers as a priestess and combining them with her magic through multiple paralysis scrolls, "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" She leapt into the air and threw them all over Oozaru-Gohan with a cry of "Evil Spirits, Be Gone!"

But, within a few moments, he was showing signs of resistance to her magic. "Mars Crystal Power!" Sailor Mars cried, closing her eyes and summoning as much of her powers as she could and focusing her magic on controlling Gohan long enough for Sailor Moon to finish the attack. The fire princess began to glow red with power, as did her scrolls and successfully paralysed the creature. But she knew it wouldn't hold for long. "Hurry Sailor Moon!" Mars managed to choke out, desperately trying not to break her concentration.

"Right! My turn!" Sailor Moon cried, grasping her tiara from her head and charging her crystal powers through it to enhance the power of her attack more than she had ever done in the past. It slowly began to spin and transformed into a flying discus that floated patiently in her hand. She looked up to Tuxedo Mask, who nodded and closed his eyes, focusing his energy into charging the discus. They prayed this plan would work, it needed to be as powerful as they could make it.

Taking a deep breath, Sailor Moon took aim of the powerful discus in her hand, "Moon Tiara, MAGIC!" she cried the familiar attack and threw it forward towards Gohan's tail.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Sailor Jupiter cried, spinning a powerful storm of thunder-clasped leaves. They, too, surrounded the flying discus and were absorbed. Charging its' power even further.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury cried, following Jupiter's lead and attempting to charge the discus as much as they could. Again, it absorbed her attack and now appeared to be glowing with a blue-ish silver haze, as the power of Mercury and the Silver Crystal shone through; a golden glow surrounded it, as the power flooding through from the Golden Crystal was increased and it crackled dangerously with the power of Jupetrion lightening.

"Please let this work..." Sailor Venus pleaded weakly as she watched the discus fly towards Gohan's tail and make contact.

A furious roar erupted from the Oozaru, as the paralysis scrolls were no longer needed. His tail landed with a loud and thunderous thud by his shrinking body and, exhausted, Sailor Mars fell to her knees and panted for breath. She was shaking and she could feel fatigue threatening to overpower her. It had taken nearly all of her magic to keep the Oozaru frozen for those precious few moments.

The Mercurian fog had already cleared and roar of the Oozaru faded. Instead, it became the screaming and agonising voice of their half human, half Saiyan friend once more. They watched, amazed as he became human, but was in his Ascended Saiyan form. He held his head, crying out in agony before falling limp completely. They knew, immediately, that he had lost consciousness when his hair returned to its' original ebony shade.

"I-is it over?" Sailor Venus seemed to voice out weakly, as she watched Sailor Moon's discus return to her hand and levitate there momentarily before becoming her tiara once more and safely falling into her open palm. She placed it back on her head and smiled at Tuxedo Mask. Her smile faltered immediately as he seemed to be frowning in Gohan's direction.

"I don't think so." He said darkly, seeing Nikiko appear by his young friends' body. Nailah appeared not a moment later, a few feet away from her sister and the unconscious Saiyan.

Nikiko bent down to Gohan's side and glared furiously at her sister, "This isn't over." She hissed.

"DON'T!" Nailah called and, for the first time in their battle, she charged up her energy and fired a black ki-blast upon her own sister.

"FOOL!" Nikiko shouted, immediately charging her own energy and responding with a ki-blast in return. The collision of the these two blasts should have created an intense explosion, that would have at least knocked back the Scouts, Tuxedo Mask and the other members of this present battle.

However, that is not the case.

Upon collision, the two blasts seem to absorb one another and, in a small puff of black smoke, they disappeared completely. No one seemed to have been harmed by the attack, but it had redirected their attention long enough. When Sailor Moon looked back to where Gohan and Nikiko should have been, she saw the fading silhouette of the flaming aura that usually surrounded Nailah when she charged up her energy levels. With a blink of her eyes, the image was gone, and Sailor Moon sunk to her knees as she felt the hopelessness that they had once again lost their friend.

Suddenly, all her exhaustion was catching up with her and, sensing her energy levels dropping so dramatically, Tuxedo Mask was at her side to catch her as Serena fell into his arms. She smiled up at him weakly, "I guess I used up more energy than I thought, huh?" she laughed weakly and he smiled at her, closing his eyes and de-transforming into simple Darien Shields once more.

"NAILAH!" they heard Lita's voice cry out, and looked up in shock to see Nailah had fallen to the floor, unconscious with exhaustion.

"I guess that battle really took it out of us all, huh?" a new voice joined their group and the, now de-transformed Scouts, looked up to smile brightly at their friends. Trista, Hotaru, Michelle and Amara, the civilian forms of Sailors Pluto, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus, joined them. They looked beautifully perfect, as though they had hardly been in a battle at all and the younger Scouts admired the power and grace their outer Scouts held with each step. They were followed by the Shitennou, who seemed slightly more dishevelled from recent events, a far less glamorous. Though they held an immediate sign of relief upon seeing their Prince was unharmed and safe.

"Hotaru! Trista! When did you get here?" Mina blurted out in surprise.

"I thought you were still a baby?" Lita questioned further, curiously looking to Hotaru.

"Are the Shadow Senshi gone?" Darien asked, frowning and ignoring the previous questions.

His was more important anyway.

Kunzite answered, frowning and shaking his head. "It was the same the entire time you left. The more we fought and destroyed, the more appeared."

"And that was **while** Nikiko was fighting with Nailah." Jadeite added, folding his arms across his chest with slight irritation. "It didn't even seem to distract her during their battle."

"She's more powerful than we thought." nodded Zoicite, picking at his tattered uniform with restlessness.

"It was an intense battle to watch though." Nephrite commented, not bothering to hide the impressed tone in his voice. "They were very evenly matched, and sometimes too fast to even see."

Trista nodded darkly, "Yes. It seems that things have gotten a little more out of control than I expected."

"So, this wasn't the fight that King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity warned us about?" Mina asked weakly, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"It's too soon." Amara responded, shaking her head and frowning. "This might just be a taste of what's to come. The battle they spoke of isn't for another few months."

"Don't count on that." Piccolo warned, surprising the most recent additions to their gathering with his interruption.

Amara eyed him curiously and suspiciously, her protective nature kicking in and she took a defensive step in front of her friends and towards Piccolo.

"We've had warnings from the future before." Piccolo continued, ignoring the untrusting gesture from Amara and recalling the warning the Z-fighters had received only a few years back from Future-Trunks. "The knowledge of events that were due to happen twisted the order of what we were expecting and some things happened sooner and later than we anticipated."

Trista nodded and released a weak sigh and she looked down, "I was afraid of that." She then looked up to the surrounding Scouts, specifically directing her words to Darien and Serena. "The future is never set in stone. We must fight to protect what we have seen."

The future rulers nodded darkly, understanding her words in more depth than the others. Trista, Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time was warning them, indeed, that the future they had once seen may not happen if their future didn't progress as it was expected to. Rini, the daughter they had met and were expecting to see someday, may never come to exist.

Serena sat up, feeling a bit of her strength returning after having rested in Darien's embrace. She looked around and released a deep sigh. "How bad is it hurt?" she asked him quietly.

He looked to her in surprise before frowning, "I don't think it's too bad." He replied gently. He placed his right hand on the Earth and closed his eyes, feeling his connection with his planet flowing through his body. Images of the damaged portions of his planet began to come to mind. It was a planet that was suffering, but it was nothing he was sure the combined power of the Golden and Silver Crystals couldn't fix.

"It'll be alright." He comforted her gently, "When we're both rested and healed up, then we can use the crystals to fix everything. It'll be as if there had never been a battle." Serena nodded weakly.

"But what now? Do we head back to Capsule Corporation and continue training?" Rei asked, looking at her friends curiously.

"No, I think Piccolo will tell us what we need to do next." Hotaru said, smiling wisely as she looked to the former Guardian of the Earth.

Piccolo looked down to the young Sailor of Destruction and nodded, turning his attention back to remaining Scouts. "Here." From within his gi, he withdrew a bag and began to toss small beans to each member of the surrounding group before walking towards a deep crater.

"What are these?" Rei asked, frowning at the small green bean she had skilfully caught.

"They're senzu beans." He replied, kneeling down beside the crater and reaching into his bag once more before reaching into the crater. A few moments later, Vegeta sat up and looked around before cursing mildly and thanking the 'Namekian'.

"V-V-Vegeta?!" Mina gasped, staring in horror at the warrior who she had seen being crushed. By all logic, he shouldn't even be conscious right now, let alone be moving!

"Eat them." Piccolo said, turning back to the Scouts. "Senzu beans have incredible healing powers and they'll restore you all to your full strength." He explained, walking over to the unconscious body of the Nikoten Princess.

Cautiously, the warriors ate the beans they had been handed and were surprised to feel their strength immediately return to normal. Their wounds were healed and their exhaustion was gone.

"T-that's incredible!" gasped Serena, returning to her feet with a bright and happy smile.

"You're ok!" a small voice cried suddenly, appearing from the rubble left behind. Amy turned in surprise and was almost knocked down from the force of Goten's hug. She smiled gently and returned his embrace.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm glad you're safe too." she said with a smile and he grinned up at her brightly, in a way that reminded her very much of Gohan.

"Aren't you going to get a bean to her?" Jadeite asked Piccolo, frowning curiously towards the unconscious Nikojin.

"No." The Namekian warrior responded, kneeling down and simply lifting the princess into his arms. He eyed her neck with what could only be described as furious displeasure. "Amy, I want you to analyse her before we heal her."

"A-analyse her? What for?" she questioned curiously, looking up from Goten and frowning at Piccolo. He simply nodded towards the unconscious Nikojin in his arms and Amy, taking this as a sign, curiously peeled herself away from Goten and stepped forwards. A gasp escaped her lips at what she saw.

"What... I've never seen something like that before." she said in a hushed voice to no one in particular.

Darien frowned and stepped forward, his eyes widening at what he saw. "What does it mean?"

Amy shook her head gently, completely at a loss for words. Vegeta grunted impatiently from the side and glared at the group.

"It means she's using too much magic and it's poisoning her." He spat, before floating into the air. "I have better things to do than hang around a group of weaklings. You're not even a challenge for a Saiyan." And with a swift turn he sped off into the sky. Piccolo knew he could only be heading towards the Lookout, which is where they needed to begin to make their way.

"Where is he going now?" growled Amara, irritably.

"What's happened to Nailah?" Rei asked with a frown and Amy looked to her friends with sad eyes.

"Why is her magic poisoning her?" Serena questioned gently, approaching the group with worry etched across her face. She couldn't imagine why magic that is designed to protect the holder would respond in such a way. Her hands clasped over her mouth in horror as a small gasp escaped her lips. She looked upon Nailah's body and saw black where all her veins lined her neck, arms and chest. They pulsed, concluding that the black aura of her magic was indeed flowing through her body, but to the extent that it was visible like that?

"We need to get her to the Lookout." Piccolo said and then looked up at Darien, "And I think you should all follow. It's time you met the Guardian of the Earth."

"C-can't you heal her with a senzu bean?" Serena asked hopefully and Piccolo shook his head.

"I don't think that'll work. But Dende is a healer. He might be able to help."

"How do we get there?" Lita asked with determination, her face set.

"You have a hover-car?" he asked Darien and the older members of the Scouts team, namely Michelle, Amara and Trista. They all nodded, "Head to the top of Korin's tower." He directed and floated into the air, flying off in the same direction as Vegeta had with Nailah in his arms.

"So, uh, what're we waiting for?" Mina asked, bright and smiling with a determined look.

"How long will we be gone?" Serena wondered gently, glancing around and the group seemed to be all be looking at her curiously. She laughed brightly and scratched the back of her head, "I just figured I should tell my parents I'll be at the Temple tonight. You know, so they don't worry."

Collectively, they stared at the future Queen for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"I think we should clean up the mess we made around here too." Michelle pointed out with a smile, gesturing around to the destroyed buildings and intense craters in their poor Earth.

Serena smiled bright and placed her hands on either side of the broach that was fastened to her chest, withdrawing the beautiful and shimmering Imperium Silver Crystal. Mimicking her actions, Darien withdrew from within his body the Golden Crystal and it shone just as brightly. They stood together and, sensing the others' powers, they merged together and released a burst of healing energy. With a flash of light, their surroundings were restored to its' former glory.

"Ok, now that that's sorted, let's get out of here before we get people asking questions." Amara suggested, withdrawing a few capsules from her pocket and throwing them a few feet from herself. Within moments, three hover-crafts appeared in their place and she climbed into the first. Michelle entered the second and Trista entered the third, with Hotaru by her side. Darien followed their actions and withdrew his own capsule hover-craft.

"Uh... How're we doing this?" Lita questioned curiously, looking to the Shitennou. They were opening gaping at the technology they had just witnessed.

Sure, magic they have no problem with. But flying cars and they're openly staring.

Serena laughed slightly before shrugging, "However you guys want?"

"How about Lita and Nephrite can go with Trista and Hotaru, Rei and Jadeite can go with Amara-"

"WHAT! There's no way I'm sitting with HIM!" Rei objected rather childishly.

"It's not like you're exactly pleasant." Jadeite retorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"You should be honoured to even be in my presence!" she spat in return.

"Children, please." Amy teased, stepping between the two.

"What, you got a problem with Jadeite, Rei?" Serena teased suggestively, giggling and wiggling her eyebrows at her friend.

"Of course not!" Rei flushed immediately. "I just don't like being the only one sat with him..."

"Hey, what am I? Invisible? I'm the one driving!" Amara defended with faux annoyance.

"You're just jealous!" Serena giggled, latching on to Darien's arm with amplified affection and sticking out her tongue to Rei.

"UGH! Get a life Serena!" Rei retorted, sticking out her tongue in response. Somehow, being around Serena always drew out this immature side of Rei.

"I'm not THAT bad you know!" Jadeite added with a pout.

"That's what you think." Nephrite smirked and Jadeite then turned on him.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You're a pain, that's what I mean."

"Stop this, you two. This isn't the time!" Zoicite tried to intervene.

"This is ridiculous." laughed Trista, shaking her head with a disbelieving smile on her face.

"It's wonderful that no amount of time changes their friendships." smiled Hotaru, observing the younger versions of the King, Neo-Queen and their respective court. They behaved in exactly the same way that she knew of them from her time in Crystal Tokyo. She prayed that the future she knew would, indeed, come to pass.

After a few more arguments, the group FINALLY began to make their way towards The Lookout to meet this 'Dende' – the true Guardian of the Earth.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the MASSIVE delay in updates! I've had so SO much work you'd be amazed! I still need to catch up on about 15 lectures and have two sets of coursework to do and I've been travelling all over the place for interviews and stuff, so it's been stressful guys! I know not much happens in this chapter but I promise I'll make the next one more eventful! I just wanted to make sure I got SOMETHING out since it's been so long. Hope you enjoyed it and thank you so so much for sticking with me for so long!


	21. Chapter 21

"Wow, so this is the lookout, huh?" Rei said aloud, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight that surrounded her as she glanced around the beautiful sanctuary.

"It's SO high up!" squealed Serena, gripping onto Darien's arm nervously. She didn't like heights very much.

"Scared, Meatball head?" Darien teased lightly with a sweet smile, gripping Serena's hand with his own as he pocketed his newly re-capsuled hover car. Serena chose not to respond verbally and preferred to simply scrunch up her face in a cutely irritated manner, before turning her head away from him proudly.

With a mischievous glance to Serena's behaviour, Jadeite grinned before dramatically proclaiming with mock-fear, "Oh the horror! What would we do if someone were to fall?" he quickly clung to Rei, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Maybe we should pair up to keep each other safe?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the fiery princess and her eyes narrowed before she clenched her fists and blazed with fury.

The intensity of her speed and force acted as a well-pronounced demonstration of all the training and effort the Solider of Fire had put into her recent sessions with Nailah. She gripped Jadeites slack hold on her and flipped him easily over her shoulders, landing him dizzily on the ground before her – a small frame of cracked stones now surrounding him.

"Hmph." she glared at him before turning her back to him and flipping her long purple tinted hair off her shoulder in a proud manner, "Don't. Touch. Me." She warned with venom dripping on her every word.

The entire group seemed to stare at the scene with surprise and shock, before Amara was the first to crack up with laughter. Her personal distaste for the Shitennou was restrained by her Princess' faith in them, but that didn't seem to stop her immediate guard from creatively expressing their distaste. Nephrite seemed to struggle to keep a straight face, the corners of his mouth betraying his better judgement and curving upwards.

Kunzite rolled his eyes, while Zoicite seemed to sigh; both responding in a manner that implied this behaviour was nothing new to them. Zoicite walked over and roughly pulled Jadeite to his feet. "Can't you ever get along with her?" he hissed, but Jadeite seemed to ignore his companions' complaints and stared dreamily after his attacker.

"What a woman." He sighed quietly and Zoicite noticeably rolled his stunning green eyes, while the remaining group struggled to stifle their laughter.

"Oh dear, do you think they'll notice?" Amy wondered quietly, eyeing the cracked stone around Jadeites' feet with a small frown. She had never seen such stone before and it appeared much tougher than she expected. Knowing the strength of her fellow soldiers' human form, the force of her attack should have had more of an impact than just a few cracked tiles.

"Was that really necessary, Rei?" Lita questioned, not bothering to hide her grin, but Rei simply turned her head away with a proud air. Lita resisted the urge to roll her eyes before she returned to scanning her surroundings with a sigh, "To think, this place was above Earth all along and we had no idea?"

"It's not something designed to be spotted from Earth." Nephrite commented at Lita's side, admiring her beautiful eyes when she wasn't paying attention to him.

"Such a strange place; I wonder what kind of stone this is..." Amy commented to herself, kneeling down and curiously analysing the now-broken tiles of The Lookout with amazement. "It doesn't seem to be anything I've ever seen before."

"It's sacred stone." A voice answered her, making her jump slightly and look for the source; confused when she couldn't find it immediately.

"It's good to see you again, Prince Endymion. And wonderful to finally meet you Princess!" greeted a stout and plump looking creature; his body was pure black and he wore a turban atop his head, as well as a small waistcoat around his bare torso and white Arabian-style slacks. He bowed lowly to Darien and Serena, who stared at him in surprise. Amy looked over curiously, recognising the same voice that had answered her question earlier and all the eyes of the Scouts and Shitennou were drawn to the creature before them.

There was a moment of surprised silence, before-

"AHHHHH!" Serena screamed, leaping behind Darien and peering from around him. Her eyes were wide and doe-like as she stared. The Scouts immediately leapt into action, taking protective stances in front of Darien and Serena and eyeing the creature before them with apprehensive awareness. Serena's fear was not something to be taken lightly in their eyes.

"Oh my!" Mr. Popo seemed to say, sounding impressed but unaffected by the army of Scouts now facing him.

"Serena!" Darien scolded quietly, frowning at his girlfriends' rude behaviour before turning to the Scouts. "Girls, this is completely unnecessary."

The Shitennou remained frozen to their original positions, surprised at the speed of the Scouts reflexive responses. Trista and Hotaru seemed to be the only two Scouts who remained unmoved and comfortable in the presence of this new being.

"What?! Look at him! What do you expect me to do?" Serena squeaked from her sheltered position and Darien couldn't help rolling his eyes.

Mr. Popo simply chuckled. "My apologies Princess," He bowed again, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Who are you?" Amara asked, frowning and eyeing the creature before her untrustingly. Only a quick glance to the unmoved Trista and Hotaru made her second-guess her protective judgement.

"Of course, how rude of me; I am Mr. Popo. I am the genie of The Lookout and assistant to the Earth's Guardian, Dende." he smiled kindly and Darien observed the genie before him with a curious frown, while the Scouts seemed to visibly relax.

"Have we met before?" Darien asked curiously, feeling a strange familiarity with the being before him. Before Mr. Popo had a chance to respond, however, Serena seemed to appear out of her hiding place, startling her surrounding guard with her suddenly movement; her hyperactive mood swings never ceased to amaze them.

"Wow! A genie? For real?" Serena squeaked excitedly. Suddenly more comfortable around him, Serena seemed to appear at Mr. Popo's side within the blink of an eye; bent forward with her hands resting on her knees, while her eyes shined with child-like curiously, making Darien smile in spite of everything. Serena's head tilted to one-side in wonder and she pouted with a small frown. "You don't look like a genie!" she commented, almost to herself, in thought. She folded her hands behind on her head and scrunched her nose, straightening up and frowning as she considered this revelation.

"Serena." Rei scolded quietly, closing her eyes as she held the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. She sighed, as though praying for patience.

"What did you expect?" laughed Mina, "Some big blue guy in a lamp, coming out, singing songs and offering you 3 wishes?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess I was thinking more along the lines of Aladdin!" Serena laughed embarrassedly, scratching the back of her head and taking her place at Darien's side once more.

"I am sorry to disappoint you Princess." chuckled Mr. Popo.

"Hey, don't sweat it!" Serena waved off easily. "As long as I still get three wishes and a magic carpet ride!" she winked with a giggle, shaking her finger at him knowingly.

"I'm not quite sure about the wishes," Mr. Popo responded with quite serious wonder, "that would depend on whether or not you were able to gather all the Dragon Balls. Though Shenron will only grant two wishes, not three. But I do have a magic carpet I am sure you would not be disappointed by."

"NO WAY!" she squealed excitedly, "You actually have one of those?"

"Of course, what kind of genie would I be if I didn't?"

"Wait, what're Dragon Balls?" Kunzite cut in with a frown.

"Who's Shenron?" continued Nephrite. But their words were drowned out by that of the excitable Moon Princess.

Serena squealed and jumped up and down, grabbing Darien's arm in her thrill. He was knocked slightly off balance at the force of her enthusiasm but regained his composure soon enough.

"Can we go for a ride? Please please please?" she begged Mr. Popo and then turned her eyes to Darien with a pleading look; asking his permission as well. He looked helplessly into her shimmering blue eyes and was very close to giving in. He couldn't stand to see her sad, after all.

"Kitten, now may not be the time for that kind of thing." laughed Amara, affectionately addressing her Princess and saving Darien the horror of having to say no. Darien momentarily scowled jealously at Amara's pet name for his girlfriend, before he quickly returned his attention to Serena. The scowl didn't escape the notice of the furious Solider of the Sky, who simply smirked in response before casually resting her arm around the waist of her partner, Michelle.

"We're here on a mission, Serena. There'll be time for carpet flying later!" growled Rei, her fists clenching as she looked disapprovingly at her supposed leader.

"Oh... Yeah. I forgot about that!" Serena laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head once more before flinging herself onto Darien's arm and smiling sweetly at Mr. Popo.

"Relax, Red." Jadeite teased, grinning triumphantly as a light blush crept onto her beautiful face at the use of her ancient pet name. It disappeared as quickly as it came. "You need to learn to loosen up once in a while." He continued with a cheeky wink at her, a bright and cheerful grin still gracing his handsome face.

She turned her ferocious eyes onto him and they narrowed suspiciously, only succeeding to make his grin wider. "We don't have time to be _relaxing_!" she hissed, "We need to figure out what we're going to do about Nikiko and Gohan! And don't call me Red!" she added on threateningly.

"But I've always called you Red." He continued with a mock expression of hurt, placing his hand against his heart. "That hurts me, Red! After all, you have always been a rather _fiery _one. I was just being affectionate." He put emphasis on her element of power, the same as his own and his grin broadened as he saw the fury spike.

"LISTEN YOU-" Rei began, but her mouth was quickly covered by the delicate hands of none other than Amy Mizuno. Her arms were quickly restrained by the powerful grip of Lita Kino, while the remainder of the group seemed to stare at the scene with amazement.

"Oh c'mon! I'm sure I could handle her. What's she gonna do? Burn me?" Jadeite continued to tease with a wide grin and mischief shining in his eyes, laughing out loud when Rei seemed to struggle even harder against her friends; her vicious and venomous words being muffled against Amy's hands.

"That's enough Jadeite!" Kunzite scolded, slapping his friend around the head and ignoring the protesting cry of pain and complaint. By enforcing his superior position of power, Kunzite emitted a small wave of energy against Jadeite. Immediately, the young general fell silent; though he continued to rub the back of his head and pouted playfully while his eyes continued to shine with mischief.

"Oh dear, are they always like this?" Mr. Popo questioned curiously.

"Well, Serena and Rei are a lot worse." Mina admitted with a laugh.

"HEY!" Serena protested, making Mina reflexively duck and raise her hands over her head in defence.

"Has Piccolo already arrived?" Darien questioned, frowning curiously and drawing attention back to the matter at hand.

"Yes, he is inside tending to the Nikoten Princess." Mr. Popo answered.

"What about Vegeta?" Mina asked curiously, remembering the Saiyan Prince left first.

"He's in the training room."

"Obviously." Amara rolled her eyes at this A-typical behaviour.

"Can we meet the Guardian? ...Dende?" Darien continued, looking curiously at the small genie before him but smiling kindly all the same.

"Oh yes, he'll be along with Piccolo shortly." smiled the short and plump genie of The Lookout, "Would you like something to eat while you wait?" he offered kindly.

"YAY FOOD!" Serena cheered and then, with wide eyes and a blush creeping on her face, she quickly calmed down and her hands covered her mouth. The entire group burst into laughter.

If there was one thing they could count on, no matter what situation, it was that Serena's enthusiasm for food would never waver.

"Can we trust him?" Amara questioned to Trista and Hotaru, the wiser of the Outer Scouts, while the rest of the group seemed to follow Mr. Popo without a second thought. Together, the Sailors of Pluto and Saturn nodded and smiled as they followed him through to one of the many dining areas.

As they sat together, patiently waiting for the Guardian of Earth to make an appearance to its' Prince, Princess and their respective courts, Serena seemed blissfully unaware of the tension and munched away at the many treats Mr. Popo laid before her. The only person who seemed to playfully match her enthusiasm was Jadeite, while the others dined at a more reasonable pace.

Mr. Popo chuckled at the young Princess, extremely pleased to have such pleasant company. And he told them this.

"My, it's wonderful to have guests at The Lookout once more." He chuckled, "I haven't needed to make so much since Gohan's last visit."

"Sorry if we're imposing." Michelle apologised gracefully and musically, sipping her tea.

"Not at all." smiled Mr. Popo.

"Gohan was here?" Amara suddenly questioned, always alert.

"Yes, he was here a few months ago training with Vegeta and Piccolo." Mr. Popo sighed as he continued to recall the memory, "He was most displeased with his progress after a battle with Vegeta and flew away. I haven't seen him since, though we know that he was brainwashed shortly after, so it's not really his fault."

"That was when we found him and brought him to the Temple." Michelle supplied, meeting Amara's eyes with a nod.

"Does he come here often?" Darien questioned curiously, trying to figure out the young Saiyan.

"I suppose you could say that." smiled the genie, "He and Dende are very close. Though his visits grew less frequent over the passing months, I suspect that is more ChiChi's doing than his own."

"So, he just kind of found The Lookout one day and became friends with Dende?" Rei questioned, frowning curiously as she tried to figure out this mystery.

"No, his father knew of The Lookout years ago. When Goku was just a boy, he came to Korin's Tower in order to train from Master Korin. Upon seeing the potential he held, Korin then sent Goku here to train with our previous Guardian, Kami." Mr. Popo explained, and then went on to entertain his guests with the surprising story of Goku's youthful adventures. Upon mentioning Gohan's adventure to Namek, where he met Dende, Mina spat her juice quite ungracefully in Lita's face.

"Wait! You mean to tell me that the Guardian of the EARTH is an ALIEN?!" she gasped, eyes wide before she saw Lita's unamused expression. Mina laughed in embarrassment and picked up a napkin, dabbing away the droplets of juice.

"Give me that!" Lita hissed irritably, snatching the napkin from Mina's grasp and wiping her face and hair dry. There was a chorus of giggles and snorts, as the team seemed to collectively be trying to hold in their laughter – except Jadeite, he just let it rip and earned a powerful death glare from Lita. Out of loyalty to his love, Nephrite smacked Jadeite on the back of his head, knocking the blonde warrior forwards slightly as he cried out in pain and protest.

"Why yes." Mr. Popo said in response to Mina's outburst, ignoring the small scuffle that was beginning to ensue. "As are the majority of you. The only true human protectors of Earth are Prince Endymion and the Shitennou."

"Did you just call me an alien?!" Mina shrieked, taking serious offence to the statement.

"Well it is true Mina." Amy concurred, placing her hand over her friends in a calming manner. "You are, by blood, Vensuvian. Darien and his guards are the only ones who truly originate from Earth."

"Hey, you forgot about Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu. Not to mention that Gohan, Trunks and Goten are half human." added a cheerful new voice from the doorway.

The group turned curiously, to find the source of this new voice and all except Trista and Hotaru seemed to stare in surprise. Before them, appeared a younger and friendly version of Piccolo, draped in white robes with a velvet vest-jacket and an aged wooden staff clasped in his left hand. He smiled at the group and seemed unperturbed, despite the shocked expressions of the group.

"Wow, now _that _is an alien."

Nephrite and Kunzite immediately turned their hands towards Jadeite in a reflexive punishment.

"IT WASN'T ME!" Jadeite shouted in defence, raising his hands over his hand and curling into a small defensive ball. "NOT THE FACE! PLEASE NOT THE FACE!" he yelped.

Their movements halted and Zoicite seemed to blush slightly and laughed nervously, "Sorry, I suppose that was quite rude of me."

Nephrite and Kunzite seemed to simply roll their eyes in exasperation.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU HIT HIM!?" Jadeite whined, gesturing to Zoitcite. "He was being WAY more offensive than I was! Geez... Double standards." He seemed to grumble the last few words to himself in a playful show of irritation, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head away until-

"ARGH!" he cried out, holding a hand to his head and glaring at Nephrite, who simply smirked in return. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"Just in case." Nephrite responded nonchalantly and his smirk simply broadened when Jadeite continued to glare at him. If looks could kill...

While the surrounding group seemed unsure how to deal with Jadeite and Nephrites' friendly behaviour, the newest member to their company openly laughed. Smiling brightly, he grinned at the group.

"I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Dende, the Guardian of the Earth." He bowed respectfully towards Serena and Darien. "Though it was before my time, I have heard wonders of your greatness and have watched many of your battles against evil from my post. I am honoured to be in your presence, Your Highnesses."

Serena and Darien seemed fairly stunned at their humble welcome.

"Uhh..." Serena seemed to begin, none too cleverly.

"HEY! What about us?" Mina protested, frowning indignantly.

"We helped her battles against evil!" Lita continued in the same indignant manner.

"Meatball brains would've been barbeque if it wasn't for us saving her hide all the time!" Rei added.

Darien cleared his throat rather obviously at this statement and raised an eyebrow at Rei, openly questioning her statement with a single look. She blushed slightly in response and looked away.

"I thought so." Darien responded with a smirk.

Serena questioned their interaction with the same intelligent depth as she had done earlier, "Huh?"

"Don't worry Serena," Amy smiled, "Darien was simply making it clear that he is the one who saves your...uh... _hide_ in our battles."

Darien's eyes widened as Serena stared at Amy in an almost horrified manner; he knew her build up and winced just at the thought of it.

"Oh come on! I've gotten a lot better than I used to be!" Serena whined, "You guys aren't ALWAYS jumping in to save me!" She seemed almost tearful now, "You think SO little of me!" And here come the waterworks, "I TRY SO HARD AND I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW IT'S NOT EASY BEING THE LEADER AND SAILOR MOON AND A PRINCESS AND TRYING TO DO WELL IN SCHOOL-"

"But you don't do well in-" Mina tried to cut in and tease, with a sunny and bright smile.

"THAT'S NOT MY FAULT! SCHOOL HATES ME! AND I REALLY DO TRY BUT IT'S JUST SO HARD! WAHHHHHHHH!" Serena whined and cried and the surrounding group cringed.

"Please, PLEASE be quiet!"

Serena's crying immediately stopped and she sniffed, staring tearfully at the voice that had silenced her.

Dende held his head, his eyes closed and he tried desperately to get rid of the pounding in his head. He released a deep sigh before he spoke.

"My apologies Princess, we Namekians have VERY sensitive hearing. Your crying was...uh..." Dende tried to explain, thinking of the most polite way to say-

"Loud and annoying?" Jadeite quipped before reflexively shielding himself and clenching his eyes shut in preparation of pain. After a few moments of nothing, he peeked through one eye and then relaxed his stance; though slightly confused, he dared not question their lack of response. Probably because he was right.

"Cool the waterworks Serena." Rei scolded, frowning. "You're embarrassing yourself."

Serena's lip began to quiver so Darien swiftly intervened, "It's great to finally meet you Dende! But you don't need to keep addressing us as Prince or Princess, just Darien and Serena is fine. Why don't you join us?" He offered; getting to his feet and gesturing Dende his chair but the Guardian shook his head with a smile.

"No thanks; Namekian's don't eat food. We only drink water to survive." Smiled the young guardian.

"What! You don't eat? Not even ice cream or cake or chocolate? Oh, that's so sad!" Serena said; sounding quite genuinely depressed at the idea of someone never eating.

"Wow meatball head, you sure sound healthy." Rei commented with a sly grin and Serena simply blushed in embarrassment as she realised her words.

Laughing past her awkwardness, Serena turned her shining cerulean eyes to Dende, who seemed slightly started at her sudden focus. He was still inexperienced in her legendary mood swings. "Is Nailah alright? We need to speak with her."

"She's resting." Dende responded, his smile dropping to a troubled frown and he looked down sadly, as though he were in trouble with the beautiful Moon Princess, "Unfortunately I wasn't able to heal her. Whatever is poisoning her, it's too strong for my powers right now. But it seems to be fading on its' own." His eyes clenched shut and he spoke with confident determination, almost as though he wished to prove himself to the powerful warriors before him. "Forgive me! I'm sorry that I couldn't heal her, but I'll keep trying until she's well again! I just want to be able to help." He finished quietly and was startled to feel a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't even sensed her movement, but he looked up and met the eyes of the petite Moon Princess. She smiled at him gently and her gaze was immensely comforting to him.

"Dende, don't worry. You've done your best, but her poison is beyond our knowledge and understanding. If it's magical, then I doubt your powers would be of much use." She comforted, "You've done your best and that's all we can ask of you. You've welcomed us into your home and we're thankful to have you, as our planets' Guardian, watching over us." Serena smiled gently, feeling the warmth of her powers spreading through her and reaching out to the troubled Guardian.

"I just wish I could do more to help." Dende sighed, somehow feeling as though he were more relaxed than he ought to be.

"Well, actually, we do need your help." Darien added gently, his deep voice just as kind as Serena's. He had remained in his seat and seemed to be observing the scene before him with a penetratingly analytical gaze. He rested his elbows on the table with his fingers laced together and his lips leant comfortably against them. There was a tense moment of silence before Darien lowered his hands to the table and spoke again, with all dominance and commanding of one who was truly born and bred to lead.

"Before Gohan was captured, his father had advised us to gather the Dragon Balls together in case we needed them."

"Yes, you'd need the Dragon Radar from Bulma to find them." Dende suggested and Darien nodded in understanding, recalling the device.

"I think Gohan had the...uh, 'Dragon Radar' before he was brainwashed by Nikiko-"

"How did that even happen?" Rei questioned with a frown.

"Yeah, I don't remember her getting anywhere near him to-" Lita seemed to continue, but they immediately fell silent at the look Darien sent their way. He continued as though there had been no interruptions.

"So, now, we need a new way of finding the Dragon Balls and, if I'm assuming correctly, the wishes they grant will help us restore all the souls that we've lost over the last few months to Nikiko?" Dende nodded and Darien continued, with a bit more encouragement shining in his eyes, "And we'll be able to restore the lives that were lost in the battle against Gohan, without putting our own lives at risk by abusing the power of our Crystals?"

Again Dende nodded and a quiet gasp escaped that Scouts. Trista's eyes sparkled with pride as she observed the intelligence and defining leadership of the future King, his royal lineage shining through his words and behaviour.

"Yes. We've used the Dragon Balls to do just that many times before." Dende affirmed with a nod.

"Wait wait wait! What ARE the Dragon Balls you're all talking about?" Jadeite questioned with a confused frown. For once, his fellow Shitennou seemed to agree with his interruption and patiently awaited an explanation. Darien looked at them in surprise before nodding, realising that his recently revived Guardians didn't have the background knowledge of the situation like the rest of them did. He looked to Dende, expectantly, for the answer.

"They're seven magical orange balls." Dende explained, "They all have a red star in the middle, but each ball has a different number of stars. When you gather them together, you can summon the magical dragon, Shenron. He then grants you two wishes, which can be anything you want that's within his power." He looked down darkly, frowning with a slightly troubled expression. "I'm not sure where the Dragon Balls are right now. They turn to stone after they've been used, and are spread across the world."

"Then how are we supposed to find them?! They could be any random rock!" Mina exclaimed, letting her head drop to the table as she considered the impossibility of their task.

"Hmph." The deep voice of Vegeta grunted as he swaggered proudly into the kitchen, helping himself to the forgotten meal that lay before them. "Idiots," he continued, "the Dragon Balls are reactivated 12 months after they've granted our wishes. As far as we know, they haven't been activated in over 4 years, so they'll be an easy find."

"Weren't you listening?" Rei snapped, glaring at Vegeta's rude and proud behaviour. "Gohan has the Dragon Radar. We have no way of finding the Dragon Balls! They could be anywhere across the globe and, for all we know, Nikiko might already have them!"

"We would have known if Shenron had been revived." Vegeta growled, "And that pathetic excuse for Saiyan offspring is not the only being on this planet with a Dragon Radar."

"He's right." Dende nodded, "Bulma will probably have another Dragon Radar we can use. Or she'll probably be able to build one easily." He smiled and Darien nodded thoughtfully before he continued speaking.

"When will we be able to speak to Nailah?" he questioned again, "We need to find out what we can about Nikiko from her."

"Hey, that's right!" Serena suddenly added, her eyes widening as she recalled their battle. "Nailah and Nikiko are sisters!"

"WHAT!" gasped Mina, Lita, Rei and Amy; the only members of the group who hadn't been present to witness the siblings' battle.

"No wonder they looked the same!" Rei mumbled to herself in disbelief.

"Yeah, but why wouldn't she tell us something like that?" frowned Mina, "You'd think that might be kinda important!"

"Not necessarily." Amy argued thoughtfully, "She might have asked for our help because she can't face battling against her own sister."

"Not from the way I saw it. They looked ready to kill each other if they had the chance." Serena disagreed sadly, hurt at the idea of two siblings so set against each other.

"But then, why does she need our help if she knew Nikiko was her sister?" Lita frowned, tapping her chin in thought.

"Yes, I was wondering about that too. I have a feeling it might have something to do with their negated ki blasts." Amy added thoughtfully, "She never had that effect with her attacks when we were training."

"I think we just need to wait until we can ask her all of our questions." Darien concluded.

"I'll tell you what I can." Groaned a weak voice from the doorway as Nailah entered, looking exhausted and wincing with pain. Though, the dark lines of poison-filled veins seemed less prominent than they were a couple hours earlier. "But don't expect me to tell you everything." Nailah warned; her deep amber eyes shone with determination and fierce decision.

"You'll tell us what we want to know!" Amara spat darkly, narrowing her eyes at Nailah's weak form but, when Michelle gripped her hand and Darien shot the Solider of the Sky a look of warning, she forced herself into control her temper. Her sharp eyes continued to glare acidly at the weakened Nikojin.

Nailah, however, simply narrowed her eyes at the fierce warrior before turning her head away and ignoring her.

"What do you want to know?" she growled, limping to a seat that Mr. Popo had kindly brought out for her.

After a moments silence amongst the group, Darien spoke, "You said that Nikiko attacked your planet and that it's now under her control. But, now we know that she's your sister." He began, watching Nailah carefully. But her reaction remained stoic, "We want to know what happened." he gently requested.

Nailah sighed and closed her eyes, as though she were praying for patience, before she spoke in a calm and collected manner. "Does it really make any difference whether she is my sister or not?" She turned her hard gaze directly on the future King of the Earth, "Her infection has spread throughout my people; HER people. She has spread the darkness in the purest of hearts and her damn Shadow Senshi are more powerful than I remember." She spat fiercely.

She blinked and realised her tone had become harsh, despite her efforts to remain controlled. With a deep breath, she tried to level her tone once more. "The affairs of my planet are none of your concern-"

"You've **made** them our concern. So cut the crap!" Amara spat venomously.

"Amara!" Michelle scolded, frowning furiously.

"I've had enough of her rubbish!" the furious Solider of the Sky defended.

"She's got a point." Darien commented gently, the frown on his mature face spoke of wisdom beyond his years. "You have lead a dangerous enemy to our world; an enemy whom we may never have encountered if you hadn't fled to Earth." Nailah's eyes narrowed at these words and her tail twitched left and right, but the future King continued nonetheless. "You have forced your affairs upon our planet by seeking out our help and our people have suffered in the process, despite our best efforts to prevent it. Gracing us with a full understanding of the situation is the least you can do."

"I have been training you and preparing you, to the best of my knowledge, to fight these monsters-" Nailah began in a fearsome and impatient hiss, his fists clenching and her eyes narrowing as she glared at the Earth's Prince.

"Training and preparation that would have been unnecessary, if they hadn't been drawn to our planet by your energy to begin with." Darien cut across quite smoothly, frowning and asserting his dominance as a leader. That lack of ferocity and the patient volume in his voice seemed to only enhance the effect of his words, as Nailah fell silent. Glaring as her tail continued to twitch.

"You think that I, alone, was the one who lead her here?" Nailah spat in response, "I don't doubt that the power of your Crystals would have caught her attention eventually. By that time, she may have been even more powerful than she is now, with an even more powerful army of infected creatures under her control! My presence puts you in the best position to fight against her!"

"Then why did your attack have no affect?" Amy questioned boldly, uncharacteristically glaring at the Nikojin before her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nailah responded quickly and quietly, looking away as her tail twitched viciously.

"Your ki attacks negated one another. Why?" Zoicite elaborated calmly.

"Pssst." Jadeite whispered to Nephrite quite unsubtly behind his hand, despite his supposed best efforts. "What's ki?" he whisper-questioned.

Nephrite resisted the urge to roll his eyes and released an exasperated sigh, "You're an idiot." He muttered before responding, "It's another name for our energy attacks."

"Oh, why didn't he just say so?" Jadeite asked himself quietly; scrunching a face at the unnecessary jargon. The majority of his surrounding company chose to ignore him; though Amara openly rolled her eyes and Serena's lips quirked in amusement.

"Look, this is clearly getting us nowhere fast. Either you tell us what's going on, or we force you to tell us." Rei threatened, her patience wearing thin from the circling conversation.

"Now you're talking my language." Lita grinned menacingly, pounding her right fist into her left palm eagerly.

"Perhaps I can scan her and create a program to access her memories?" Amy suggested thoughtfully, tapping her finger on her chin.

"No way! That would take forever! I think Rei is thinking about this the right way now." Mina grinned, in a similarly sadistic style to her fellow Scouts.

Nailah's eyes seemed to widen slightly as she realised that they were, in fact, serious. She knew in her presently weakened state, she would be no match for one Scout, let alone so many.

"That's enough." A gentle, forgotten voice intervened.

Their heads turned to Serena, who was still stood beside Dende and had been observing the discussion quite thoughtfully. Darien seemed confused at her intrusion, knowing that his beloved was normally in agreement with him. She continued to speak with a gentle, but firm tone. "I don't think we should push her to tell us about something so painful." Her eyes were on Nailah, caring and sincerely sympathetic, "You're all asking her to tell us about her sister and her people turning against her. I think that's enough for us to know that we should do everything we can to help. And the only way we can do that, is if we focus on what we need to do: stopping Nikiko as soon as we can and getting Gohan back safe and sound."

The eyes of her companions, specifically those of Darien, Trista, and Hotaru, shone with pride. Though her maturity was shining through more regularly, Serena continued to take her friends by surprise during these moments. The shining determination in her eyes and the seriousness of her expression left no room for doubt or argument. Darien conceded to her will with a smile, demonstrating the importance of her opinions upon his decisions, as well as his trust in her.

With a dramatic sigh, Lita slumped back into her seat and crossed her arms over her chest, pouting cutely. "No fair." She complained and Serena smiled gently in response.

"She turned the man in to a mouse." Jadeite teased his friend quietly, with a mischievous grin. Darien rolled his eyes and smirked unashamedly at the General.

"Jealous?" Darien teased in return and Jadeite scowled.

"Immensely; do you remember how long it took to get her to LIKE me the first time around?" he whined, jabbing his thumb in Rei's direction before groaning and covering his face with his hands in a defeated motion. He continued to mumble some muffled complaints, which were easily ignored.

Lita and Mina smirked in Rei's direction, but she stubbornly rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, turning her head away proudly.

"So, after all that, what's our plan?" Hotaru prompted, speaking for the first time during their entire discussion.

"I'm guessing there's not even any point in asking for hints from you two?" Amara casually questioned.

Trista smiled sadly, "Unfortunately not, the timelines are very twisted and the slightest fault on our part could result in a change to the future we wish to create."

"Then why did you bring Hotaru back?" Mina frowned, not having been present for their initial arrival.

"Sailor Saturn of the present is still an infant, in the care of her father, Dr. Tomoe. It is not yet time for her to be taken from him to grow into her powers." Hotaru answered darkly, "But we've seen what fate is in store for the future, should we not have enough power to defeat Nikiko. This seemed like the best possible solution, according to Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion." Her youthful appearance mismatched against her many lifetimes of experience. She smiled sweetly, reminding the group of the Hotaru they had known, before her rebirth, less than a year ago. "I'm not going to be around for long. Two of the same being cannot be present in one timeline for extended periods of time. I will have to return to the future before I join you for the final battle."

"You won't be fighting with us?" Serena asked; the sadness and disappointment in her tone was evident. But Hotaru smiled and shook her head.

"I will join you for the final battle, Princess, but I won't be present for the in-between." She confirmed.

As the Sailor Scout of Death and Rebirth, she remembered each lifetime she had lived through since the beginning of time; just as Sailor Pluto had guarded the Gates of Time since the beginning, watching over the timelines and protecting them from abuse.

"What is with all this 'Princess' stuff?" Serena grumbled, earning a small giggle from the group. "You know I don't like formalities!" she whined.

"I think we're hitting a bit of a tangent here." Kunzite prompted, though his smile couldn't be hidden by his serious tone.

"Uh, what's a tangent?" Jadeite whisper-questioned to Nephrite with a confused and slightly panicked expression.

"Definitely an idiot." Nephrite grumbled, hitting Jadeite on the back of his head – much to the amusement of the surrounding Scouts. "He means we're getting off topic." He responded

"Why couldn't he have just said that?" Jadeite whined.

"Alright alright!" Darien cut in, an amused smile gracing his handsome face. "That's enough. Kunzite is right. We need to sort out a plan of action. What are our objectives?"

"We need to find out where Gohan is." Amy prompted almost immediately, blushing slightly at the looks she received. It was almost as though she was incapable of NOT answering a question that she knew the answer to.

"Right and I suggest we look into gathering the Dragon Balls too; so they're ready when we need them." Darien nodded, a commanding and direct tone taking over his voice once more. Turning to direct his gaze to the newest additions to their team, Darien addressed Trista and Hotaru before he delegated tasks. "How long shall you both be joining us?"

"I cannot leave the Gates unattended for much longer. We're here only to ensure you're on the right path, then we shall take our leave and see you again when we are needed." Trista responded calmly, and the Prince nodded in understanding.

"Then this is how we'll do it." He turned his gaze on to the rest of his team, who seemed much more alert and eager, now that there seemed to be some form of action involved.

With confidence, Darien separated their group into pairs. Serena's immediate Scouts being guarded by their respective Shitennou, while Amara and Michelle preferred to work together, as did Darien and Serena. No one felt it would be necessary to split up the loving couples and, despite the Scouts protests, their pair allocation was final.

"We'll all first need to visit Capsule Corporation," Darien continued, surprising himself with his confident leadership, "so we can see if Bulma has any spare Dragon Radars."

"I doubt she'll have 6." Nephrite commented sceptically.

"Well she'll just have to make more then, won't she?" Mina patronised with a smug smirk when Nephrite scowled in her direction.

"Actually, I think we'll only need 5." Darien countered thoughtfully.

Nephrite looked puzzled, glanced around and counted the pairs once more before raising an eyebrow at his friend.

"I want Zoicite and Amy to work on designing a program to locate Gohan."

Nephrite seemed even more puzzled as he considered this notion, and Darien raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Why don't you just use your powers to locate his presence through the Earth?" Nephrite suggested, as if it was one of the most obvious things in the world.

Darien's eyes widened slightly in realisation when he recalled this forgotten power; immediately, he moved off his chair and knelt on the ground. Closing his eyes, he placed a hand on the floor and willed his powers to find his friend, recalling Gohan's specific ki-wave and searching. After a few moments, with a confused frown, Darien returned to his seat.

"It's strange. I couldn't even feel the Earth..." he murmured to himself.

Vegeta snorted with disbelief at this Prince's clear lack of intelligence, "That's because we're _above_ the Earth right now, you half-wit."

"HOW DARE YOU!" Nephrite immediately leapt to his feet, his hands reflexively reaching for his sword. But he was suddenly surrounded by a golden line of glowing light and the eyes of his fellow guards widened.

Darien frowned darkly, his hand outstretched as he felt the power of the Golden Crystal pulsing through him. Never before could he remember using his powers in such a way, yet it felt second nature to him to access this hidden ability.

"That's not necessary, Nephrite." Darien controlled coolly, relaxing his hand so that his hold over his friend was released.

"Hmph." Vegeta smirked at the pathetic attempt of the weak little humans to supposedly harm him. "Besides," he continued smugly, earning a glare from the loyal Guardians of Endymion, "from what we know, Gohan isn't even on this planet right now."

"What?" the Scouts gasped, eyes widening in surprise.

"Where else could he be?" Serena yelped in surprise.

"How could you possibly know that?" Mina questioned, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, their stupidity already beginning to annoy him.

"We can't sense his ki." Dende answered, when it seemed clear that Vegeta considered the question below him. "We can't know for sure, but it's more than likely that in such an out of control state of mind, Gohan wouldn't be worried about hiding his energy. So, since we can't sense him, it probably means he isn't on the planet."

"But, where else would he be?" Serena questioned with a puzzled frown.

Amy's shining azure eyes met with intense shades of amber, as Nailah looked up and, together, answered the now-obvious question.

"Nikota."

* * *

**A/N: **I know that this chapter is very conversation heavy, and not much actual plot movement, but it was important to get through! I'm not too happy with it myself, really, but I wanted to make sure I made a decent update tonight! I'm sorry for my late updates and I hope I'll be more regular, but I doubt it. Thank you for sticking with the story for so long, it really means a lot to me and I hope you're enjoying it! I'll try and update again soon!


	22. QUICK MESSAGE

**Hi everyone!**

Sorry that I've been gone for so SO long! I didn't realise that coursework and exams and jobs and aerial training (you know, like trapeze and silk ropes and stuff.. yes, like in the circus but, no, I have not quit my degree and run off with the circus - unfortunately..) and then a new boyfriend would get in the way of all this stuff and suddenly it's almost august and it's been months since I updated! I'm determined to get back into this though, so I'm going to try to update a new chapter within the next couple of days! I'll be overwriting this "chapter update" so that this message doesn't hang about for too long (I hate these messages being in the middle of story chapters and stuff too.. NO WORRIES PEOPLE!)

Thanks for the constant support though! I've had emails about users following, favouriting and reviewing the story and I'm genuinely honoured that, even after months of inactivity, I'm still getting good responses from readers :) I'm so very touched that so many people seem to enjoy it, so I'm determined to carry on. It is drawing near the close now, so I'm not sure how many more chapters I'll be making. But I'll see where my imagination takes me and will dish out chapters (hopefully) a bit more regularly!

Kind regards,

**nofreakingway**

_This message will disappear very soon and will be replaced by a new chapter._


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